If praying is one of the best things we could do to our team (or family), then we should learn how to pray effectively before a big game (or test).
So to start this is how you should not pray…
God, if you help me win this game I will go to church on Sunday.
God, if you give us the championship I'll go to church every Sunday!
God, if you give me an A on this test I will obey my parents and the Bible for rest of my life…
These are selfish prayers and when we pray, we should not bargain with God. "God if you do this, then I'll do that…" That's not how it works.
First we need to understand that the end goal of playing Basketball (or studying) is not to just win the game (or get an A). That is certainly one of the goals, but the bigger goal is to play your best on that day. Now that's what God wants… He wants your best, not a win at the end of the game. And to play your best you need to try your hardest in every second of the game - and if you do that you actually have your best chance of winning the game.
We cannot control the scoreboard, but we can control our effort - so we should pray for that!
God help me to play my best and my hardest today for You, for my school and for my team.
God reward our efforts from practice during this game and help us to execute the things we practiced.
God strengthen my body and keep me and my teammates free from injuries.
God bless my opponent and help them to play well.
What?! Wait a minute coach! We're going to pray for our opponent too?
Yes. If they play well, then you will play well also. If they play sloppy, you'll probably play slopy too. Remember the goal is for us to play our best! And btw, we play our best when we play opponents that are bigger and better than us. We should look forward to those games, because that's when we reach our highest levels.
If you pray for these things, God will hear you and He will bless you and your team - if that's your true attitude. Jesus said that we could ask anything in His name and the Father would give us. The key is for us to ask in Jesus' name - meaning according to what He desires, not our desires. He desires for you to play (very) hard and play fair.
As a coach, that's what I want from my team and that's what I'll pray for my team. Let us play (and study) hard this year and strive for our best. Let intensity and effort be the measure of your success, not the scoreboard.
Coach Batista
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