If I am honest, I will tell you I struggle with prayer.
I probably ponder more on the thought, “Can I pray for that?” than actually just praying for it.
My faith is strong, I believe I am a child of God. My belief in our Lord is strong. I know when He calls, He will also provide everything I need to answer the call.
Where I struggle is wondering, Is that okay? Am I bothering Him for asking for this? Is this trivial?
Our God is so big that we think our problems are too small in comparison. It's important to remember that it is the other way around. Our problems are never too big or small for our God. We forget that God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives, even the small things.
In our group, Friday Night Wives (Behind the Lines), I asked the question “Before, During, & After the game - what do you pray for?” As responses rolled in, the top two answers were the people (players, coaches, referees, etc.) and safety.
Obviously, those are great things to pray for and we would all agree that it is okay to pray for those things.
Another answer included understanding God’s will is being worked out in both wins and losses, for my coach to stay calm (AMEN, sister), sportsmanship, good play calling, to catch the ball, and good decisions.
My favorite comes from Carrie G. Simoneau, she said, “For all my husband’s hard work to be evident throughout the game!”
As I pondered more about praying during games, I thought back about myself. I prayed a lot this year.
I prayed for all the obvious things like any other coach’s wife. I prayed for the hail-mary passes and QB sacks. I prayed for the bleacher coaches. I prayed for the defense and offense to execute plays correctly. I prayed to thank God for all the good things. I shouted Hallelujah and praised Jesus when we scored a touchdown or snagged an interception.
Is that wrong? Never.
But here's the larger question: do you pray to win the game?
To answer honestly, yes, I do. I pray that I win.
But I know that my God already knows the outcome and what lesson needs to be learned in the win and loss column. So, I know asking for it would not change his mind on the outcome.
As an educator, I know that a student who tries and fails and tries again learns more than those that are constantly successful.
The same is true for a football game. We lose to learn. Does it suck? Yep, it sucks big time.
But is it necessary to learn and grow as an individual, team, program, school, and community? Absolutely!
So maybe it’s important that we pray that God’s will be done instead of a win. But that doesn’t mean we can’t ask for one.