Prayers for Back to School Week–Part 4

Pray that your child will honor God in sports and other activities.

A few years ago, my daughter made it to the state finals in track. She attended a relatively small, private high school. The school competed against other smaller schools from all over the state. My daughter wasn’t competing against the fastest girls in the state, but it was still an honor for her to be invited.

On the day of the meet, I was a nervous wreck. My daughter, on the other hand, was very calm. She couldn’t have cared less how the race went. That, of course, drove her anxious and former track-running father crazy. The race was the 300-meter hurdles. It’s a long, grueling sprint with hurdles thrown in just to make it even more torturous. It’s also painful to watch.

As the race began, I found that my prayer life had a sudden boost of energy:

O God, please make Emily fast! God, help her to clear that hurdle! Oh, she’s last! Why is she in last place? Please help her to run faster! God, why is that girl in front so fast? I bet she takes steroids. Please make her fall on the next hurdle. O God, Emily’s gaining! Make her run faster! Go, God, go!

On and on it went. I just blabbered and blabbered all these goofy prayers. I wonder what God thinks when we pray like that.

Needless to say, while my prayers lacked eternal significance, they didn’t lack passion. I think God understands (and, thankfully, puts up with) a parent’s impassioned prayer for his or her child’s sporting performance. But there is more to competition than winning. If we all pray for our kids to win all the time, most of us are going to end up very disappointed.

What does God want for our kids to experience through activities like Little League, drama club, a debate tournament, or a spelling bee? Simply stated, God wants our kids to honor him. Sports and other activities give young men and women of God the chance to conduct themselves and perform in such a manner that lets Christ shine through them.

How your son responds when he makes or misses a free throw, or how your daughter reacts when her soccer team loses— again— can go a long way toward bringing glory to Christ. How your child treats teammates and competitors will also give them a chance to point to what’s eternal.

It’s okay for your child to want to win. There’s nothing wrong with that. But more importantly, you want your child to seize the platform that sports and competition offer him and to do all he can to glorify God. So pray for your child’s competitions. Pray that he will always compete fairly and honorably. Pray that your child will play hard and always give his best effort. Pray that he will honor coaches, support teammates, and respect opponents.

Pray 1 Corinthians 10: 31 for your child: Father, I pray that whatever my child does, including sports and competitions, he will do for your glory.

From–Pray Big for Your Child: The Power of Praying God’s Promises for Your Child’s Life

 

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