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Football, Poker, and God
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| Written by N. Billardello |
| Yesterday I sat and watched one of the most entertaining Superbowls in recent memory, and as the game was ending, I couldn't help but imagine fans for both sides praying that God would help their team win. I remember saying a prayer kind of like that in 2004 when the Pistons won, and then again in 2005 when they lost. Then I thought, "does God care who wins? Does God pick sides? Or have a favorite team?"... Sometimes after I finish my homework I need to watch TV for a bit to relax, and lately poker has been on a lot. I'm not going to lie, I started watching poker. There was this one moment, when two players were going head to head, and it was down to the flip of a card, just pure luck, and millions of dollars were at stake, and both sides started to pray. Both sides were praying that they would win. One said, "have a purpose for me today Lord." And the other side was saying, "this is your chance to make me a believer." Does God take sides? If God takes sides, then who gets God's favor? and how? What happens if God sides against you? ... I was bothered, so I went to the Bible. Matthew 4 tells us about when Jesus was tempted by Satan, and one of the temptations is to become King over the world, and to to be given all the power and riches that come with it. Jesus doesn't say, "Satan, it's not yours to give." Instead he says, "I will worship the Lord alone." If power and riches are something that Satan can give, then should we be asking God for it? And then, in Mark 10 Jesus says, "whoever wants to be first, must be last." (Looks like Lions fans will be first! haha) But seriously, how can we read this text, and then pray to be first? ... I know, I know, we're going to win at things, and we're going to lose at things. We might get looked over for promotions, and we might get more than we deserve... but no matter what happens, we can not let our accomplishments and shortfalls define who we are. We are beloved Children of God! And their is no greater reward on earth than that. I'm not saying we should stop praying for good things, but in the words of Garth Brooks, "Some of God's greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers."
Peace! Nick |
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