{"id":1189,"date":"2013-10-22T05:28:33","date_gmt":"2013-10-22T11:28:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/?p=1189"},"modified":"2013-10-22T05:28:33","modified_gmt":"2013-10-22T11:28:33","slug":"whose-team-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/whose-team-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Whose team is God on?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
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<\/p><\/a>\u201cI prayed and the ball just went through the goal posts.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/h6>\n

\"Tim<\/a>
Photo by Julie Jacobson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI said, \u201cJesus, help me. And he did.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI give all glory to my Lord and Savior.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s common for well-meaning athletes to give a hat tip to God in post-game interviews. In the hero-worship world of athletics, competitors of faith are looking for\u00a0some way to deflect the glory.<\/p>\n

So I don\u2019t fault them for trying, but some of the expressions are downright silly. They reach a little too far. \u201cThanks to the Big Guy Upstairs for helping me with that right hook.\u201d\u00a0\u201cJesus helped me accelerate and pass him on the inside of the second turn.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Photo by Guiseppe Stilo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Prayer during the competition is common. Retired football star\u00a0Deion Sanders<\/a> said this \u201cWhen its fourth down, I pray. I\u2019m seeking God\u2019s help. I also pray that opposing quarterbacks will throw me the ball<\/em>.\u201d If I had a 400 pound lineman coming my way, I would pray too.<\/p>\n

The quandary comes when the quarterback is praying for a completion, not an interception. I\u2019ve seen a baseball player cross himself as he steps to the plate while the pitcher crosses himself before goes into the windup. Whose team is God on?<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

We are glad that people are vocal about their faith. It\u2019s a genuine attempt to connect their ability with sovereignty, but it can send the wrong message.\u00a0Does God really determine who wins?<\/em>\u00a0Is it right to pray for victory, for success in our vocation?<\/p>\n

And this question filters to our own\u00a0lives. If we believe that God cares about our daily efforts, then\u00a0we<\/b><\/a>\u00a0can pray for business success, for sales to come through, for our endeavors to be blessed. Can the soldier pray for kills? Or should he or she pray for protection?\u00a0He does care about our success.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Photo by SaraOwen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Athletes \u2013 and people in the marketplace \u2013 should not be afraid to ask for God\u2019s blessing. But we should realize that his blessing can be found even in failure, in brokenness. He is far more concerned about our character, our development as his children than the success of the world.<\/p>\n

What do you think? Do you pray for blessing? Do you pray for your \u2018team\u2019 to win?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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