I will never forget sitting in a chapel shortly before a football bowl game and hearing the speaker say something like, “Look around the room. Your teammates will not let you down in tonight’s game. Look at your coaches. They won’t let you down, either. Most of all, the God you serve will not let you down! We will beat Nebraska!” It was awkward for me since I was a former Nebraska player. I was interviewing my former coach and the opposing coach for FCA’s “Sharing the Victory” magazine, so attending their chapel was part of my assignment.

No doubt, when I played sports, there were moments I got a bit carried away with my emotions before the game, so it was not shocking for me to hear a pastor say confidently that the Lord had picked their team to win the game. However, my concern is more than just players praying before games. What is their reason or motive for praying or attending chapel? Too many coaches and athletes treat God like a rabbit’s foot. They hope praying right before a contest will bring them success as if they were carrying a rabbit’s foot or a four-leaf clover. The Israelites did that with the ark of the covenant in 1 Samuel 4. They soon learned it was not a good luck charm.

1 Samuel 4 – Divine Sovereignty

God will not be manipulated by man. In fact, He showed the Israelites that He would allow them to be defeated in battle and lose the ark rather than be manipulated by them. When being beaten by the Philistines, they asked the right question, “Why did this happen?” However, they came to come to the wrong conclusion. They should have repented of their sin. Instead, they placed the ark of the covenant in front of their armies, thinking superstitiously it would bring them success. The result was not just losing 4,000 men as before but 30,000 this time. They had confused the symbol of God’s presence with this actual presence.

You might have grown up singing the famous hymn, “Thou Art Worthy.” When the church begins singing “Thou Art Useful,” we have a serious problem. God will not be controlled or manipulated by us!

 The Kingdom Coach and Athlete hold God in reverence and not as a useful tool to gain recognition or success in sports.

Bible Memory Verse – “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the battle lines of Israel, whom you have reproached.’” 1 Samuel 17:45 (LSB)