By Dr. Jacquelyn Simmons
My late Uncle James L. Thomas, the first Head Coach at Carroll High School, taught us not to pray to win a contest but to pray for all players to play well according to the way their Coaches taught them and not to get injured.
During one football season at a school where I taught, one of the football players enrolled in one of my classes asked me to come to the dressing room and pray for the team. Because I often prayed with some of my classroom students according to their requests, I guessed he thought prayer might improve our team’s winning record. After receiving verbal permission from the Head Coach, I agreed to meet with the players and staff in the dressing room in order to carry out the player’s request.
It was my first time entering that part of the school building. I was quite nervous, also because I felt the young player expected a miraculous game result. However, I noticed that he and the Coaches looked rather strange towards me after the prayer because I did not pray for them to win the upcoming game(s) but for both teams to play well according to the way their Coaches had taught them and to avoid injuries.
I hastily made my retreat and noticed soft murmurings and under eyed looks among those who were present. Should I say more? Well, I guess you have guessed they not only lost the upcoming game but others… My student acted kind of frozen towards me afterwards, but, when I explained my actions to him and his class, he seemed to feel better.
I am sure that all of us at some time or other have engaged in some type of Competition and prayed to GOD to “PLEASE” let us win!! Most likely some of our competitors are trying to win by some means – whether by prayers, powders, liquids, or “sayings,” etc. in order to be winners. Little children learn competitive actions in order to defeat others and if they win they attribute it to whatever measures they have taken in order to do so.
However, my friends, when we pray to GOD to be winners, please remember that GOD loves us all with the same measure and it is not fair to ask Him to make us the winners unless it is Salvation and His Grace and Mercy- THEY ARE FREE!!!
Yours in Christ!
Love You All!
Rev. Jacquelyn Simmons
