"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play…it is war minus the shooting."
The mystery of prayer
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favour granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:10-11Paul expresses his thanks to God for salvation or for deliverance as he puts it. We have looked in another devotional at what that salvation means. Today we are concentrating on Paul’s references to prayer. Paul writes “he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers”. That is a mind-blowing thought that somehow our prayers play a part in the process of other people’s salvation.
There are questions about prayer that we can never answer: Why do we need to tell God if he already knows everything? Why are some prayers not answered?
The idea that God wants us to have a relationship with him and that he invites us to share our needs, desires and anxieties with him is almost too wonderful to be true. Let us strive to believe what Paul writes about how our prayers affect other people.
I found this quotation helpful: “God has offered to answer the prayers of his children (those who have received him into their lives and seek to follow him). He asks us to take any concerns to him in prayer and he will act upon it according to his will. As we deal with difficulties we are to cast our cares on him and receive from him a peace that defies the circumstances. The basis for our hope and faith is the character of God himself. The better we know him, the more apt we are to trust him”.
https://www.everystudent.com/wires/prayers.html
Think about who you should be praying for today: team-mates, opponents, coaches etc And don’t just think about it – pray!