Sunday, June 14, 2015

Jesus' Model Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV)

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.



Amen.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Thanksgiving in Sport

Gracious Father in heaven,

I am daily thankful for all that comes with my life in (sport).

I am thankful for the athletic Abilities you have given me.

I am thankful for Bruises that heal.

I am thankful for Coaches who teach me.

I am thankful for Dreams of competing at my absolute best.

I am thankful for Excellence to pursue.

I am thankful for the Freedom You have given my soul.

I am thankful for the Grace You give me daily.

I am thankful for the Honor of representing You in (sport).

I am thankful for Imagination as I creatively express my heart in (sport).

I am thankful for Jesus' faithfulness.

I am thankful for the Kindness I experience in my sporting life.

I am thankful for the Love of God I feel when I compete.

I am thankful for Muscles to stretch, to flex, and to test.

I am thankful for the Newness of life I have in Christ.

I am thankful for Opportunities to serve You in (sport).

I am thankful for Perseverance through testing.

I am thankful for Quiet moments to hear Your voice.

I am thankful for Rest and Recovery.

I am thankful for Sport.

I am thankful for Teammates.

I am thankful for the Unity I sense with my teammates.

I am thankful for Victories won in (sport).

I am thankful for the Wonders of my life as a Christian competitor.

I am thankful for Your Spirit being the Xray of my heart and its desires.

I am thankful for You.

I am thankful for Zeal with which to pursue (sport) and life in Christ Jesus.

Amen. 

Confession for Idolizing Sport

Merciful Father,

My life in (sport) is central to who I am.

It shapes how I see the whole world.

It can even shape the way I perceive You.

I confess that (sport) is often an idol in my heart.

I confess that it has foolishly ruled my life.

I confess this as sin and repent of it.

Train my heart to worship You alone.

Lead me to complete devotion.

Shape my soul to value, but not to worship (sport).

I will trust You to develop a wise and Christ-honoring view of my life in (sport).

In Jesus' powerful name I pray,

Amen. 

For Experiencing God’s Presence in Sport


Father of heaven and earth,

The world and everything in it is Yours, including (sport).

You are present and active in the lives of all believers, including mine.

I confess that (sport) can overtake my mind and cloud the sense of Your presence that I desire.

Please awaken my soul and heighten my senses to Your nearness.

I will seek to hear, to see, to feel Your presence throughout this day in (sport).

All that I am and all that I possess is turned toward You and the expectation of experiencing (sport) with Your life transforming presence.

In Jesus’ name I trust and pray,

Amen. 

When Battling Performance Based Identity

Lord Jesus,


Thank You for my life in (sport). 

I confess that my flesh wants to find my identity in performance. 

The whole culture of sport drives me toward it.

My heart is committed to You.

My life in (sport) is in Your hands.

My performance is submitted to Your will.

My identity is found in my relationship with Christ Jesus, 100%.

No substitutes, no exceptions, no regrets.

On my best days and on my worst days, I will rest in the love of God.

I am His and He is mine.

In the name of Jesus, my soul’s banner, I pray,

Amen. 

Monday, June 8, 2015

Praise in Sport

Great God of Heaven and earth, 

I am in awe of all that You are.


I am amazed at Your power.


I am secure in Your presence.


I am in (sport) by Your providence.


I am rescued by Your mercy.


I am freed by Your forgiveness.


I am empowered by Your grace.


I am among teammates by Your provision.


I am full of praise, joy, and satisfaction.


I am a part of Your team, today, tomorrow,  and forever.


My redeemed soul offers this prayer of praise in Jesus' matchless name,

Amen. 

Worship in Sport

Father,


The world of sport is full of Your grace and glory.


My life in (sport) is surrounded by Your loving presence and merciful power.


I confess my heart's rebellious ways and I trust in your kind forgiveness.


I revel in our moments of quiet communion and in hours of furious activity.


I treasure both contemplation and competition.


I need Your presence to encourage my pursuit of bringing Your heart pleasure.


I commit this day and all it brings to Your honor and glory,


In Jesus' holy name,


Amen. 

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Post-game Prayer

Father of Compassion,


Today's competition was tough and we were defeated.


We struggled mightily against a powerful opponent, but were overcome.


The sting of loss is strong, but temporary.


The momentary pain of defeat will soon fade.


Lead our hearts to recover.


Shepherd our bodies to rest.


Sooth our souls' disappointments.


We trust You with our lives in (sport).


In Jesus' name, 

Amen. 

Pregame Prayer

Powerful God of Heaven and earth,


Today's competition will require my absolute best and the same of my teammates.


Please give us to be at the heights of our abilities.


Please enable our hearts to be united.


Please grant us insight and wisdom.


Please infuse us with strength, speed, and endurance.


We would honor You with each and every second of this contest.


In Jesus' strong name we pray,


Amen. 

Post-game Prayer

Gracious Father,


Thank You for allowing me the privilege of competing in (sport).


I am thankful for Your presence as I competed.


I am thankful for the absence of injury.


I am hopeful that You were honored by my service in today's game.


I commit my performance and today's results to Your wise care and I pray in Jesus' name, 

Amen. 

Pregame Prayer

Strong Father in heaven,


It is game day and I am ready.


Every fiber of my being is poised and prepared for a great day of competition.


I commit every moment, every breath, every movement,  and every thought to You.


May I be blessed with Your provision as I compete?


May I be honored by Your presence in this game?


May I bring Your heart pleasure throughout this day?


I pray and compete in Jesus' name,


Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Loving Heavenly Father,


Thank You for (sport).


Thank You for how it tests my body's strength and endurance.


Thank You for how it challenges my mind's focus and attention.


Thank You for how it tests my spirit's will and emotions.


Thank You for how it tests my character, judgement, and heart.


I commit myself, my every virtue, my every weakness, to You as I compete.


May it honor You and bring you pleasure.


In Jesus' powerful name,


Amen.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Post-game Prayer

Father,

Thank You for today's game and the victory won.


We competed like champions and defeated a strong opponent.


Our souls are full and our bodies are drained.


We are richly blessed.


May we relish each moment of this celebration and be mindful of Your kindness throughout.


With excited hearts we shout, "Hallelujah,  Amen!"

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Pregame Prayer

Father,

It is almost game time and my heart is racing.


My mind is full of anxiety.


My body is tense and tight.


Please quiet my heart.


Please speak peace to my mind.


Please relax my body.


This competition is for Your honor, for 
Your glory, and for Your pleasure.


I pledge to You the greatest devotion of my heart, the best thoughts of my mind, and the strongest efforts of my body.


In Jesus' strong name,


Amen. 

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Gracious Father,

You are the Giver of all good things.


In my life, (sport) is one of the best gifts I have received.


Thank You for the joy I find in it.


Thank You for the challenges it presents.


Thank You for the teammates I have in it.


Thank You for the coaches who lead me in it.


Thank You for the officials who govern its competition.


Thank You for the rules that guide its play.


Thank You for the exhilarating release it is to my body, my soul, and my mind.


I commit this day's experiences in (sport) wholeheartedly to You,


In Christ Jesus' holy and strong name,


Amen.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Prayer of concern for loved ones

Father in Heaven, 

Thank You for those You have given me to love. 


Family, friends, teammates, and mentors.


You know how my heart aches with concern and my mind worries for their wellbeing.


My life in (sport) competes for my attention and demands that I  concentrate.


Please enable me to wisely care for my loved ones and to excel as I train and compete in (sport).


I affirm my commitment to those I love and I pray for them in Jesus' name,


Amen. 

Prayer for excelling teammates

Gracious Father, 

Thank You for my teammates, one and all.


Thank You for those who are experiencing outstanding performances.


Please guard my heart from envy of them.


Please guard their hearts from arrogance and pride.


Please lead us to all compete at our absolute best, to excel so to honor You, and to find true joy in (sport).


I pray and trust in Jesus' powerful name,


Amen.

Prayer for poorly performing teammates

Merciful Father,

Thank you for my teammates, one and all.


My heart is grieved and my mind is troubled with a few of my teammates.


They are performing poorly and that is compromising our team's pursuit of excellence.


Please lead me to serve them well.

Please empower me to love them deeply.

Please help me to lead them wisely.


Please give me grace to be kind and compassionate.


Please enable our team to rally around them and to elevate our collective performance to new heights.


I trust, lead, and pray in Jesus' name,


Amen.

Prayer for off-season training

Father,

Thank You for my life in (sport). 


These off-season workouts try my patience and drain my soul.


The rewards of game day seem terribly remote.


Please deepen my resolve to train and refresh my commitment to this process.


Please renew the energy in my spirit, my mind, and my body.


I will trust You to fulfill Your grand design in (sport) as I walk ahead in today's training.


And I will continually pray in Jesus' name, 


Amen. 

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Prayer for mental focus

Father,

Please sharpen the focus of my mind.
Lord, brighten my heart's vision. 


Jesus, open my soul to perceive.
Holy Spirit, empower my will to wisely decide.


Savior, envigor my body to excellent performance.


Sovereign God, demonstrate Your ways through this life.


Almighty God, accomplish Your will in this day.


Master, further Your purposes in this contest.


Father, I commit myself, all that I am, and ever hope to be, to You.


I pray in Jesus' strong name, 


Amen.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Prayer for the family of a competitor

Father in Heaven,

Thank You for placing me in a loving family.


They are a treasure to my soul.


I feel conflicted as my presence with them is compromised.


My life in sport is demanding of time and attention.


Please guard my family as I travel, train, and compete.


Teach me how to be 100% present when I am with them and to be mindful of them when absent.


Deepen our bonds of love, respect, and affection.


I commit my family, all our hopes and dreams, into Your loving care. 


I pray in Jesus' strong name, 


Amen.

Pre-practice prayer

Strong and loving Father,

As I walk into this day's practice -
○ Please sharpen my mind,
○ Strengthen my will,
○ Empower my body,
○ Inspire my spirit,
○ And steady my emotions for excellence in performance, in teamwork, and in preparation to compete.


I pray in the powerful name of Jesus,


Amen
.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Prayer for team leadership

Father in Heaven,

Thank You for our team's leaders.

They are essential to our unity, to our development, and to our success.

Please equip them with wisdom, insight, and authority.

Please enable them to communicate strongly and to model effectively.

I will commit and submit to them as I do to You.

I pray, trust, and compete on Jesus' name,

Amen.

Post-practice prayer

Father,

Thank You for today's practice session.

It tested me; body, mind, and spirit.

My teammates and I improved our skills, our strategies, and our teamwork through this workout.

Please enable us to rest and recover so we may train and compete again.

Please further Your divine purposes in my life and in the lives of my teammates and coaches.

I commit the results, the frustrations, and the joys of this practice into Your wise and loving care. 

In Jesus' name, 

Amen. 

Prayer for weight training

Father,

Thank You for the privilege that I have to train in this weight room. 

May my effort honor You and my coach. 

May my focus imitate Yours on Calvary.

May my physical strength grow as I grow in my love for You. 

I commit this workout, every moment of exertion, rest, and recovery to You. 

I pray in Jesus ' powerful name, 

Amen. 

Prayer for retirement

Heavenly Father,

My sporting career is coming to a rapid end.

My body is broken down and my mind is tired.

My love for (sport) and for its people is strong and vital to my life.

The steady approach of retirement both excites and frightens me.

For as long as I can remember, (sport) has been a central part of my identity.

Please remind me daily that my worth, my identity, and my life are securely tied to my relationship with You.

Lead me confidently into this next chapter of life, love, and fulfillment of Your purposes.

In Jesus' strong name, 

Amen.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Prayer approaching a session of injury rehab

Father,

As I prepare for another session of injury rehab, I confess my weariness with the process.

This is painful, tedious, and the reward for the work feels very distant to me.

Please fuel my heart with perseverance.

Please renew my mind with vision for the future.

Please refresh my soul with joy.

Please restore my body with strength, flexibility, and resilience.

I commit myself, body, mind, and spirit to You and to this process.

I am trusting and praying in Jesus' name,

Amen.

Prayer for dealing with weariness


Merciful Father,

I am tired.

My body is worn out and my mind is numb with fatigue.

My emotions are flat and my soul has dried up.

This weariness would leave my heart to languish in despair.

But You are my strength and my limitless source of hope.

My life in (sport) demands that I perform well, even when I am assaulted by fatigue.

I rest my soul in Your infinite strength, grace, and power. 

Please refresh my body with energy.

Please infuse my emotions with passion.

Please restore my mind with Your truth.

Please lead me to compete again with a full heart, a clear mind, and a powerful body.

I trust in Your provision and pray in Jesus’ strong name, 

Amen. 

Prayer for dealing with pain


Merciful, Heavenly Father,

This pain is draining the very life from me.

I long for it to stop and for health to return.

This assault on my body is creeping into my soul.

It robs me of energy and it strains my relationships.

As the Lord Jesus trusted You while enduring His life of pain, so will I trust You.

As He turned to You for compassion and presence, so I turn my heart to You.

Lord, please release me from this pain or enable me to endure it with Christ-honoring perseverance and grace.

I trust and commit my painful life into Your hands. 

In Jesus’ compassionate name I pray,

Amen. 

Prayer for when you want to quit


Merciful Father,

I confess that I would like to give up, to quit, and to withdraw from (sport).

This process seems to be squeezing the life out of me and it assaults my will to continue.

The rewards of (sport) have disappeared from my sight and the joy of competition eludes me.

I need You to restore my passion for competition, to refresh my soul’s love of (sport), and to renew my body’s strength.

I commit my heart to Your perseverance.

I commit my will to Your sovereign plan. 

I commit my body to Your compassionate care.

I commit my life to Your divine purposes. 

I will press on and will continually pray in Jesus' powerful name, 

Amen. 

Prayer prior to competition with a lowly rated opponent

Father,

All those around us see today's opponent as vastly inferior. 

No one gives them a chance to compete with us. 

Please guard our hearts from such arrogance. 

Hold us back from such folly. 

Lead us to show dignity, honor, and respect to our opponents.

Help us to love this competitive neighbor as we love our-competitive-selves.

We commit this day and ourselves to honoring You. 

We pay in Jesus' strong name,

Amen.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Prayer prior to competition with a superior opponent

Father,

By all accounts this is a competition we should not win.

No one gives us a chance against what appears to be a superior opponent. 

My soul is undeterred.

My heart is not intimidated.

My mind is not defeated.

My body is not broken.

Please infuse all of my person to compete fearlessly, powerfully, and wisely.

I commit this contest and every moment of today's competition as a sacrifice to honor You. 

Win or lose, I am Your competitor.

I pray, lead, and compete in Jesus' powerful name, 

Amen.

Prayer during competition with a dishonorable opponent

Father in Heaven,

My opponent is violating every value I hold dear in this sport. 


His/her approach to (sport) lacks integrity.


This is stretching my discipline to its limits. 


Please rule my heart with Your peace. 


Lead me to compete with honor.


Please season my speech with grace.


Help me to guard and protect my teammates and the ethical standards that honor You. 


I compete and persevere in Jesus' strong name,

 Amen.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Prayer for the Emergency Room

Gracious Father,


This moment of crisis has our minds racing and our souls in a knot.


This situation screams for us to panic, but You speak peace to our hearts.


While this tornado of unanswered questions spins around us, please calm our minds.


In this atmosphere of doubt and despair, infuse our souls with hope.


We trust You in this darkness and walk boldly ahead.


Please grant wisdom to all Your agents of healing and comfort.


We commit ourselves, this whole process, and the eventual results into Your loving and powerful hands.


We are praying and trusting in Jesus',


Amen.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Prayer for dealing with teammates' failure and defeat

Forgiving Father of all,

This day's loss and the failure of my teammate(s) tear at the fabric of my soul.


My heart wants to forgive and to restore them, but my mind is critical and my soul is grieved.


I confess this conflict and beg You to unite my life in Your grace.


Lead me to wise ways and gracious words to forgive and to restore them.


I am committed to loving You as I love my failing teammate(s).


I pray and extend the forgiveness I received from Jesus,


Amen.

Prayer when feeling lonely

Lord Jesus,

I feel cut off. I feel terribly alone.


My family, friends, and teammates seem to be continents away from me.


These feelings are crushing my spirit and draining my soul.


Please visit me with Your comforting presence. 


I trust You for soul-restoring communion.


I trust You to lead me to life-giving community.


My lonely spirit takes refuge in the shadow of Your wings.


I pray in the name of Jesus, my compassionate Counselor,


Amen.

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Prayer for maintaining humility

Almighty Father, 

All those surrounding us are singing our praises.

All our detractors have faded away.

We are applauded from every side.

I confess my heart's desire to believe such flattery.

It seduces my flesh and deceives my mind.

It intoxicates my soul.

Hold me back from the folly of man's empty praise.

Focus my heart on pleasing You. 

Turn my attention to the sobering Truth of Your Word.

Please enrich my heart with humility and wisdom.

I pray and trust in Jesus' name,

Amen.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Prayer After Winning a Championship

Heavenly Father,

We are champions and this must be a foretaste of what heaven feels like.

Everything about (sport) seems better today than it ever has.


The tastes are sweeter, the aromas are richer, the sensations are more powerful, and the sights are glorious.

Thank You for this marvelous opportunity to compete and to achieve.

Thank You for wise coaches and skillful teammates.

Thank You for my life in (sport) and all it has accomplished in me.

Please lead my heart to celebrate wisely.

Help me to treat my opponents with dignity and respect.

Guard my heart from the folly of building my identity on this performance.

With an excited spirit and a humble mind I pray in Jesus' strong name,

Amen. 

Friday, January 2, 2015

Prayer after post-season tournament elimination

Father in Heaven,

Tournament elimination feels like death.

It grieves my soul and pains my mind.

My body is sore and my heart is numb.

The season is suddenly over and our dreams of a championship are dashed.

Thank you for the rich opportunities we were afforded this year.

Thank you for my teammates coaches, and worthy opponents.

Thank you for the wonderful memories I have gathered in (sport).

I commit this season, its wins and losses, its highlights and its failures, its joy and its pain to Your loving hand.

With thanksgiving and resolve, in Jesus' name I pray,


Amen.

Prayer prior to competition with a superior opponent

Father,

By all accounts this is a competition we should not win.

No one gives us a chance against what appears to be a superior opponent. 

My soul is undeterred.

My heart is not intimidated.

My mind is not defeated.

My body is not broken.

Please infuse all of my person to compete fearlessly, powerfully, and wisely.

I commit this contest and every moment of today's competition as a sacrifice to honor You. 

Win or lose, I am Your competitor.

I pray, lead, and compete in Jesus' powerful name, 

Amen. 

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Prayer after a victory over a worthy and honorable opponent

Glorious Father in Heaven,

This seems to be the very height of (sport).

We competed well and honorably.

We demonstrated excellent skill, character, and sportmanship.

We competed against a worthy and honorable opponent.  

And we won!

We are thankful for all these blessings and commit them to You as an offering of praise.

We pray that You were as honored in this competition as we were fulfilled and exhilarated in it.

We pray in exultation of this day's worship of Christ Jesus in (sport),

Amen.