Praying On the Sidelines

Over 10 years of serving as a team pastor for the Iowa State Cyclone Football team (under Coach Dan McCarney, now at North Texas State), and now again as I volunteer with the 2011 Cyclones, I have often wondered before God how to pray at football games.

Of course, I get asked questions all the time.  Questions (accompanied by a sheepish smile, which means it's a half-serious, half-not question) like

• do you pray for your team to score, or make a great play?
• do you pray for the team to win?
• were you praying when the team came back like that?
• do you think God cares who wins?
• what about players on the other side...what does God do when they are praying too?

These questions actually do have answers:  No, no, yes, no, and "what would you do if you were God?".

Nonetheless, I do pray when standing on the sidelines.  Here's how I think I am to pray.

First, I pray that somehow, through all the thousands of things that are going on all over the place in a stadium, both in the stands and on the field, that somehow God would be thought about and honored in this, and that Jesus Christ might become important in people's lives.  At most games, there are thousands without a personal, life-changing relationship with Christ.  One can quickly and easily look into the faces of any number of people, and if you're kingdom-hearted, you begin to pray for lost people.

Second, I pray for those players on either side of the gridiron who are Christ's disciples, that they will play (and that Christ-following coaches will coach) with God's strength, energy, and focus, so that their play (or coaching) will truly stand out so as to bring honor to Christ.  And should God grant them His extra encouragement, I pray that they will then be humble, and give the glory to the Lord they love and whose life they exude as they play the game.  I pray for their teammates and coaches to recognize that Jesus Christ is truly making a life-changing difference in these kingdom warriors.

Third, I pray for a player who goes down, or gets hurt.  The other night, one of our running backs went down, and there was a scramble by the docs and trainers to see if he were OK.  They lingered on the field, and I felt prompted to pray for God to enter the care huddle and bring His healing touch, energy, and strength to #21.  After a long delay, Shontrell got up and walked off the field...and reentered the game later on.  After the game, I mentioned to him how I longed for God to energize him in those hurting moments...and I appreciated his smile when he heard it.  I also pray for a player whose injury may result in being on the sidelines for a long time.  Another kind of healing and perspective needs to happen in these cases, when the prospect of playing in the upcoming season suddenly evaporates.

Here's my coaching tip for you Jesus-following football fans.  Go cheer your team on!  Wear the body paint, the hats, the gear...whatever.  But also, make your 3 1/2 hours at a game an opportunity for you to beg God for His presence and power to move in and around  that stadium.  Pray for the other fans around you.  Pray that all of the 50,000+ will have the Spirit of God move into their lives and show them the greatest Person they could meet...someone who is worthy of all their praise and attention.  

Yeah...go to the game, and pray.