God is a Broncos Fan
by Charles Eaton
The story of Tim Tebow has been the banner story of the National Football League (NFL) this year. To those who do not follow football, Tebow is the quarterback of the Denver Broncos and a very outspoken Christian. It is not an exaggeration to say that Tebow talks about Christ more than almost anyone I have met thus far; even going as far as to sing Christian songs during his pregame warm-ups. Through wins and losses, 
Tebow is constantly giving credit to God. In almost every interview he gives, the first words out of his mouth are likely homage to his Creator, then a praise of thankfulness for his teammates. While there have been other outspoken Christians in the NFL (Kurt Warner, Reggie White, etc), what has captivated the nation like nothing previously seen in football, has been a penchant for winning close games in the fourth quarter despite how abysmally bad he played through the first, second, and third quarters. Tim Tebow has been winning football games he has no business winning. He has heart, to be sure, but his talent level is woefully inadequate and glaringly unpolished. Therefore, his recent playoff loss notwithstanding, I have come to an unmistakable conclusion: God was actively helping Tim Tebow win football games.
I’ll say it again.
God divinely intervened on Tim Tebow’s behalf, on multiple occasions, so the Denver Broncos would win football games. To illustrate, here is a video clip of Stephen A. Smith, Chris Carter, and Skip Bayless debating this topic after the Bronco’s miraculous comeback victory over the Chicago Bears (the first 5-6 minutes make the points well, the rest is just interesting if you want to keep watching).
For those who say God doesn’t care about football games, and He really doesn’t care about who is winning and losing football games, I offer this logical parallel: How many of us have ever prayed to God that we pass an academic test? Or perform well on a job interview? Or complete an important task on a job to our bosses’ satisfaction? I feel confident in assuming I am not the only one to have done all three, and because God is faithful, He has come through for me in clutch situations like these more times than I can count. But have we ever stopped to think about what happens as a consequence of God’s intervention in these matters on our behalf? If a test was graded on the curved (such as the LSAT [Law School Admission Test] I’m preparing to take), the good grade I receive will cost someone else a chance to earn that grade. The job offer I had no business receiving was a job someone more qualified did not get. Many times, the blessings that come in our lives will simultaneously cause someone else to miss out on what we just received. That’s how ‘haters’ are created. Bishop TD Jakes said it best when he proclaimed, “that favor ain’t fair,” and by now, I have learned to take grace and favor over justice and merit every time.
Yes, the NFL is a sport, but is it not also a job? Athletes are paid by the NFL to compete, and their paychecks are almost always directly linked to how they perform on the field. Yes, if God helps the Denver Broncos win football games, that means he has caused another team to lose, but is that any different from the people who missed a blessing due to our divinely inspired successes? Is God caring about football really that different from God caring about biology tests, business presentations, and law school applications? I don’t think so. Though, as an athlete, it offends me personally that God may come down and help the other team win. This despite how much work, sweat, and blood I put into my own training, not even to mention my own Christianity, yet I believe it is a mistake to say he wouldn’t do it if He saw good reason to do so.
Which brings me to my last point: While only God and Tebow know for sure, I honestly believe that Tebow is not trying to use God to win football games. While he may pray for victory, and give God the credit afterwards, I don’t think Tebow is trying to leverage his Christianity into favor with God on the football field. That is by far the most important thing about him. God is not mocked, and He knows the hearts of His children. Most of us have been occasionally guilty of trying to contract God into blessings. Saying such things as, “God, if you do X for me, I’ll do Y in return” or, “God, I have been returning my faithful tithe and offerings, now please open this door for me”. We try to trap God into doing what we want, forgetting that even our righteousness is as filthy rags. When I hear the passion for God in Tebow’s voice, I cannot help but think to myself he would be happy being a farm dung scraper if God was on his side. He would give God all the credit just the same. Instead, he is a NFL quarterback, following the Great Commission, and miraculously winning games. “Favor ain’t fair.”
Charles, do you really believe this or are you just trying to stimulate conversation.
I have to say this is the biggest load of drivel I have ever read on Atoday. God does not support nor encourage competitive sport. See Ellen White's comments on the subject.
Didn't God favor David over Goliath, Elijah over the prophets of Baal? No, instances they weren't games, but they were an opportunity for Him to publically show His favor on those who call on His name over those who disbelieve — and to demonstate His power to all. God MAY not care about the standings in the NFL (actually, I think so), but he certainly cares about whether His servants, who publicly acknowledge Him, thrive.
Pagophilus,
I realize that this is very left field, to say the least, but if we were to take away our biases and start from a clean slate, why wouldn't God care about sports? He obviously cared enough to give the three hebrew boys a special insight when they were in an intellectual competition with the rest of the captives of Jerusalem. He gave them that insight specifically because they chose to live for him. Is not war competition? God has many times acted and chose sides when two nations are competiting against each other. At what point do we have the right to say God cares about this competition but not that competition? I know my position is not the standard position taken, but if we say God cares about everything, down to the hairs on our heads, how then could He not care about something so many of His children are passionate about?
Meh. God intervenes to change the outcome of a ball game, but lets hundreds of thousands starve in the Horn of Africa.
If so, it's not any god I want any part of.
That to me seems to be the most important issue. I have no problem believing God favours his people over others in principle. But why would he answer a believing sportsman's prayer for a win, but neglect to answer a believing mother's prayer that her children should live? None of our answers have been adequate, and I suspect they never will be. The Great Controversy theme has been the SDA answer, and it is as good, and as biblical, as any, but it still leaves the question about the details. God answers prayers about small things – lost keys, a promotion, a win at football – but not the big requests for a human life. What causes problems for faith is not the answered prayers, but the unanswered ones.
David,
Getting hung-up on the apparent "failures" of God to help where we think He should be changing the situation places us in great danger of losing what is left of an already seriously deficient faith. God hasn't made us responsible for saving the victims of war and famine around the world. But He has given us the responsibility of learning to trust Him and to minister His love whereeer we are under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Nice of you to offer a free diagnosis of my faith.
This is obviously an enormously difficult theological question, and one that has occupied a lot of smart people for a lot of years.
But at the very least, the starving kids in Africa are a much more important moral issue than EGW's anti-football diatribes, at least in any sane moral framework.
And a God who intervenes at all is morally liable for the times at which he doesn't intervene, just as any human being would be. We're rightly horrified by the Kitty Genovese case, in which human beings did not intervene to save a woman's life. God is those bystanders times a billion.
This is a deep and serious problem, and I'm afraid the guilt trip of 'just trust and hush your mouth' doesn't work any more.
I trust you are writing from your heart, Charles Eaton. Yet, your premise is difficult for me to accept. I have seen so much pain in which God could have intervened to lighten or remove the load. If God indeed is intervening in football and ignoring so many other issues, I must say that would tarnish His image for me and hurt His reputation in many ways. If I recall you are a university student? I wonder if your view might be naive? Sorry if that seems curmudgeonly. I may be wrong too….Carmen
Ditto to what David and pagophilus have said. Amazing how many professed Christians (the fans, that is) worship at the sports idol. But if there is prayer before the game or during it that must legitimize it. Admittedly, this guy Tebow may not know any better, and God takes that into consideration, but one would hope that the Holy Spirit would lead him to a higher experience at some point.
Horace,
What few people know about Tim Tebow is how deeply he is involved in ministering God's love off the football field. He does far more to bless others in a week than most church congregations do in an entire year. If you critics put as much energy into real ministry instead of criticizing Tim Tebow the world would be a better place.
I have a problem with the notion that prayers are unanswered. Could it be that, sometimes, the answer is "No?" Christ asked, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me." Mary and Martha prayed for Lazurus not to die. Sometimes His will not ours differs. That is when faith is most required.
This is very interesting. If I follow correctly, the argument against God caring about sports doesn't come at that hypothesis directly, instead the argument is God can't answer prayers relating to sports because there is so much evil in the world that should have His attention. That, to me, flies right in the face of the fact that we have free will. Evil has to exist, without it there is no choice. While I agree, to us, sports may seem small compared to world hunger, but to God, who runs billions and billions of galaxies with hundreds of billions of worlds down to the trillions of atoms and subatomic particles that make up this singular world, either everything is a big deal, or nothing is. World hunger, sports, the hairs on our head, whats the difference to a God as big ours?
I seriously doubt that a God who cares enough about us to know the number of hairs on our head equates the worth of a human life with winning a footbal game.
On the other hand, if the number of hairs on our heads is somehow noteworthy (worth of His noting); why wouldn’t a game witnessed and cared about by millions be somewhat/equally/more noteworthy to Him? I’m not saying that it is, but it isn’t unreasonable to suppose that it is.
If/since a game doesn’t matter, how do we know that God wasn’t having fun with it (as David Read said below)?
My comparison was not between the hair on a person's head and a football game, but a human life and a football game. I do not believe he equates a game of any kind with world hunger. I don't know how God feels about any game. But I would be very surprised if he did not rate many other things as more important.
Yung & Carmen Lau,
I do not wish to presume to know which prayers God will answer and why. For all we know, Tim Tebows constant public profession of faith which the media pays attention to because he wins football games has caused hundreds of people to be introduced to Christ and be saved for eternity. Things like this are unquantifiable because there is no telling what impact he has been able to have through his ministry.
I just remembered seeing an article that described him building a hospital in the Philipenes. One specific example, and more mere speculation granted, but who can tell how many lives will be saved because of that hospital that he was able to build because of his play on the football field?
And to answer your questioin directly, yes I am a university student, and no doubt I am naive about many things, but I try to use that to my advantage and not simply disregard an idea because it sounds foolish on the surface.
Blessings
Kevin Riley,
If playing football well saves lives, wouldn't God care about that as well?
Charles,
God loves us in spite of our faults, so why is pro football an issue?
God cares about what we care about, but he cares about us more than about those things. All things are not equal.
Isn't the point of the article that God might care about this whether this particular guy succeeds at what he's doing (make believe Tebow wasn't playing football, but was instead, an author of children's books) because, as a prominent Christian, he uses the platform he's been given to bring glory to God.
If Tebow was an author of children's books, and, despite critical denoucements, his books continued to be best sellers, would it be crazy to think that God cares about Tebow's books — as a means to a (higher) end?
"…perhaps thinking that God will not help the widow or orphan (does He not help ALL?) because He's watching a game is a testimony to God's character that he wishes we would try understand."
Nonono, that's not what I was saying at all. God is infinite. He can watch the game and see every sparrow, and every leaf, fall. It's not at all a question of his capacity to act.
It's about his choice of when to act and when not to. If we believe that he is the kind of being who intervenes at all, then every time he intervenes that is a choice. And every time he does not, that is also a choice.
And my point is that there are a billion times when that choice not to intervene is utterly immoral. It is immoral even by human standards, and if God is to be the divine guarantor of morality then he must be held to a much higher standard than humans, not a lower one.
The only way I can resolve it for myself is to believe that God intervenes rarely, if at all, and not to win football games. Maybe Tebow lifts in the final quarter, maybe his teammates do, maybe the opposition teams are less fit than they need to be. But what we see happen on the field is all natural.
As far as I can understand – and I'm happy to be shown to be wrong in some way – any other view makes God, as I said, just one of the people who stood by and didn't act while Kitty Genovese was raped and murdered. Except one with infinite power to act, with certainty of the outcome and no personal risk.
I'm with David Geelan – God IS a non interventionist. Full Stop. To claim any more for Him is to prove His non existence because of the absence of verifiable (effects) and, as has been said, the immorality of His failure to act when even we think He should.
(before some jump on me for that last point: creationists claim a sense of morality is God given, so don't go telling me I am not "qualified" to judge when he should intervene from an earthly perspective. Even the GC (great controversy) theme fails here because at Calvary He supposedly "redeemed" man's fall – yet another 2000 years of indefensible suffering by many has passed)
I'll leave you to figure out what kind of God he is if he is a non – interventionist, but don't expect it to be the "sugar daddy" kind of God we often prattle about!
cb25
The God I have come to know is no "sugar daddy" but a loving and powerful God who is so interested in me that he has intervened in my life many times. I've seen Him do miraculous things too many times to doubt His power an caring for me.
One thing I'm looking forward to when I get to heaven is sitting-down with my guardian angel for a recounting of those time. If anybody in the universe deserves a medal, it has to be my guardian angel!
For example, last April 27 here in North Alabama we had no less than 92 tornado warnings issued across the area and numerous twisters on the ground. I watched one go past just over a mile away and heard the roar of the wind. Then, when we got the word that the home of a church family with six kids had been destroyed, we were on a rescue mission despite the storms. Along the way we ran into high winds from another twister and came very close to getting blown off the road. Reviewing the National Weather Service's time-lapse radar animation opened my eyes to the fact that I had been close to, if not directly under, at least five and possibly eight tornadoes that afternoon. That experience has left me profoundly in awe of God's love and power to protect us while we're doing what He wants us to do.
Forgive me for pointing this out, but your example would suggest that God is not into ecconomy of management: Would it not have been easier to look out for one house and 8 people in it, than to arrange 8 tornadoes around your car as it raced through the region?
Better you could stay at home, and that 8 people would not need the stress of rebuilding their lives. But, perhaps a builder in town was about to go broke and was praying for more work – and his prayers were answered.
I have to respect your interpretation of events William, but I can't escape the conclusion that the moment we expect God to be, or make God out to be, anything more than very non interventionist it is a moral nightmare.
I don't know if you have seen the TV program "The One"? Basically a search for the best psychic! Fascinating to watch.
I wonder what would happen if the same thing were done in the realm of Christian prayer or ability? I suspect we'd be embarrased, but would excuse it away with "God should not be tested in that way".
Charles,
Great article!!! Tim Tebow has been an incredible witness to his faith in Christ. If God helped Tebow win games, it may have been because Tebow gives all credit and glory to Jesus. Who knows how many people, especially young people, see Christ's Spirit through this particular young football player. Even in defeat, Tebow is gracious, and his kind manner shines through.
I'm a Broncos fan anyway, so watching this young man was a joy…in victory and defeat. Charles, you say that you are a university student, so I assume a younger guy…I'm not that young, 59 to be exact. God can and does use many different avenues to reach all who will come.
Preston, I agree with you…God works in ways we can't even comprehend!
Carol
Also, perhaps Tebow doesn't pray about "winning" necessarily, but just that he and his teamates will play well and do their best. Regardless of what happens in his career, it seems Tebow knows Who and what is important in this life.
An interesting blog that opens all sorts of doors. I agree with the witness aspect of the Tebow effect. I think God is involved in the lives of His people intimately. He intervenes more than we can imagine, and we can't stop praying for ourselves and others because people are dying somewhere. I think Tebow's prays to be used by his God. I believe he will be tested someday, probably many times. (Remember Job and what we can learn from that story.)
I am of the belief that everyone is saved until they reject God and His love as they understand it. Therefore, I believe starving children are saved. That seems like the only fair answer to me. I am not saying I have the answer–it is just what I and some others believe, and I find it fits in with the biblical overview of love and salvation–it is not just based on one or two selected texts but a host of them. Since the first death is temporary (the second death is permanent; no one has really died in that respect), then the many who die every day will awaken when Jesus comes. Helping them in their suffering is our witness to what God is like. We send missionaries/witness is to save those who are on the verge of rejecting God or have already done so as reflected in their wicked deeds. We tell them about Jesus who died for them.
I refuse to believe God is anything but fair and loving and will go out of His way to save us. Unfortunately we cannot see beyond this world at the present time and are under the shadow of the first death. I think God knows what He is doing.
I'm with Charles on this one. Anyone who watches alot of football and witnessed what the Broncos did after Tebow took over (when the Broncos were 1 and 4) and led them to 7 wins in the next 8 games, knows that some of those wins cannot be explained by natural causes.
First of all, Tebow's technical skills are not really up to NFL quarterback skill-level. That may sound harsh, but it is true. Tebow is not winning these games with his meagre football skills; he seems to will the Broncos to victory solely by the force of his personality, and they win.
But even Tebow's preternaturally effectual charisma and leadership ability cannot explain some of those wins, because they depended on freakish lapses of awareness by opposing players, such as when Chicago Bear Marion Barber ran out of bounds instead of letting the clock run. Does the force of Tebow's personality mesmerize opponents' offensive players, who aren't even on the field at the same time as Tebow?
No, I'm afraid we're here faced with a phenomenon that utterly defies rational explanation. There clearly was divine intervention. And why can't God have a little fun with a football game? It doesn't matter who wins and loses, it's just a game.
Hi Timo,
I'm not sure what you mean by in an "unboken world", nor what kind of eyepiece you are implying, but would not "non interventionist" be the oposite of micro – manage? So, I'm not sure if you are implying the same thing or somewhere between?
Perhaps you could unpack those two as they're a little cryptic?
Cheers
Carol, David, and Ella,
Thank you. But, CB25, I have an issue with this statement: "God IS a non interventionist. Full Stop. To claim any more for Him is to prove His non existence because of the absence of verifiable (effects) and, as has been said, the immorality of His failure to act when even we think He should."
Please hear the spirit in which I am trying to respond, I am not trying to come at your life or beliefs, but am merely curious. How can you characterize the God that is portrayed in the Bible as a non interventionist? The entire Bible is full of examples of God reaching down into very specific circumstances in order to change outcomes. He even held back the sun for a day because of prayer (a miracle, that for pure awesomeness, doesn't get near enough credit). Also, I have a huge problem with the term "absence of verifiable effects". Can any of us rightfully say that we know exactly which events could and could not be attributed to a direct act from God? Only God can know when God acts. I think we run the risk of attempting to be gods ourselves when we set ourselves up to be judges of when and where God intervenes, or whether He intervenes at all.
Though you qualified that statement in your next paragraph, I believe you yourself said it best when you said "the immorality of His failure to act when even we think He should." We aren't blessed with infinite knowledge nor the ability to be outside of time. If God acted upon every injustice in the world, every time, then there would be no need for faith or free will, His constant "karmic" justice system would rob Him of attaining freely given love. Just becuase we, in our 4 dimensional living, think God should act in particular places, doesn't mean best or even good for HIm to act there.
I think the font switched on me mid writing. I apologize for that.
Hi Charles,
You ask how can I characterize the God that is portrayed in the Bible as a non interventionist, and then point out some of the many examples of "intervention" from the Bible.
The problem is, that as awesome as these may sound, I cannot think of any of them that are actually verifiable by us. On the other hand, there are at least two which can be verified as NOT happening. I am of course speaking of Noah's flood and a 6 day creation 6000 yrs or so ago.
Now, I know that there will be those who debate those two points, but I would suggest that IF we Christians did not believe this is what the Bible teaches as events which happened, none of us would find enough verifiable evidence to convince us these events ever DID happen.
Take the flood, the knowledge we have of even the first 5 – 10 kms of the earth's crust is now massive and growing. and there is nothing yet found which can fit a global flood. (yes I know all the stuff that's out there AIG etc etc, but it is all clutching at straws which we would laugh at if we did not think we HAD to believe in a global flood and young earth creation week.)
Take the age of earth and life. The same is true. Once again we believe we have to believe in young life etc, and become creative in twisting evidence to fit.
What I am saying is that these two events are, at the very least, not verifiable as fact, but rather are at worst verifiable as non events. The point? We cannot use the Bible examples of God's intervention as verifiable evidence of an interventionist God.
In my post, when I spoke of the absence of verifiable effects I was really speaking of today – now! Show me some if you can? Now I don't mean personal things which we can or may genuinely believe are God acting in our lives. I mean events which can be publically seen or verified. I am not saying these HAVE to happen to prove God exists etc, what I am saying is that their absence at the very least demonstrates that God is non interventionist!
As you say, we are not god's that we can say when he HAS acted, but we sure as anything can verify a vast array of times and events that he arguably has NOT acted. His non intervention IS verifiable!
Now, one more point that should cause us to ponder: Before Calvary, according to Biblical history, God acted "reasonably" frequently. Now, when Calvay is meant to have "paid the price", redeemed man, cast out Satan, Conquered the grave etc etc – there is 2000 YEARS of what? Yes, there will be a multitude of "personally" verifiable events where God has acted, but "natural" events which cause untold suffering, loss of life, and misery continue – in effect as if THERE WERE NO GOD.
Charles, no matter how we cut that, if we are going to believe in and defend God's existence, at the very least we have to present Him as a non interventionist because the moment we present Him otherwise it is to hand people a measure with which to discount His very existence.
Charles,
I probaly should point out. I suppose in a way you are seeing Trebow's events as publicly verifiable events of an interventionist God.
I did watch the video link you gave. I have to be honest about two things. One, there was nothing to convince me God was or was not intervening. And two, I had to tell myself that the shocking behaviour and communication skills of the people in the vid could not possibly be representative of Americans. (at least I hope). They were childish and…well what can I say. That kind of stuff just does not fit with us Aussies!
It should not be lost on this discussion the role that media and psychology are playing in the these games (pardon pun). Put yourself in the shoes of the opposing team, especially if you are a Christian, and see how it changes your game when you are half "expecting" God to act for the "other guy". It will effect the game. And, the closer to the end of the game, the more expectation is built up. Self fulfilling prophecy. Arguably: Nothing more, nothing less.
Cb25,
Can we agree on a foundational premise that God cannot and will not prove his existence to humanity? If He were to do that, belief in Hm would not be faith based but an unavoidable circumstance. Building on that, what good would verifiable proof of God's miracles do except force people to believe in Him? Also, can either you or I say for certain that God has prevent thousands and thousands of supernatural disasters from striking the earth? Of course not, because since we can only know what we have experienced, we can't know what disasters God has prevented because they haven't happened.
To respond to your ssecond post, I believe Tebow was being helped by God, but my belief in that in no way proves the fact, just throws it out there for discussion. As a former athlete myself, it is offensively to me personally that God would inject Himself into a culture that thrives on a neutral playing field more than anyother, but I can't deny what I am seeing. Finally, in regards to the video, they are sports commentators using language to talk to a persumably sports savy male audience, so their language probably isn't perfect. Although, from what I'm told, American english cannot measure up to Brttish or Austrailian english in quality anyway.
Charles,
I've been away for a week, so missed your question.
I guess I cannot agree with you that God cannot and will not prove his existence to humanity. I can agree that for all intents and purposes he does not, but that is different. It also fits my non interventionist description!
Your points beg the questions: How would we know he "cannot"? Why in fact should he not reveal himself? What in fact is wrong with belief in God being based on an undeniable self revelation? The position implied by your opening points (on which you figure we can agree:) are in fact based on biblical premises which can be interpreted as poorly veiled excuses for the often too obvious non intervention by/of God.
True, we cannot tell by the "absence" of events when God has in fact intervened, but neither should we make them a diversion for the multitude of events where we sense he should have intervened. It is for either cause an argument from silence and makes no proof either way.
What we can do is look around us: Show me a public event in current times where there is even reasonable evidence that God has interevened? Show me a similiar documented event in the last 2000 years of history.
There are, at best few or none. I am not saying this proves God's non existence, but it points at least toward non interventionist.
This whole discussion reminds me of one of Bill Cosby's old standups about his friend who asks God to help him win at craps. Bill says, "Hey God is busy. I have a friend Larry who is not doing much these days. So instead of asking God, ask Larry to help you win." Maybe next year, Tebow should ask Larry instead and he might win the Super Bowl.
I don't really follow the NFL, being an Australian, but the Superbowl coverage was pretty hard to miss.
Couldn't help noticing that the Broncos weren't one of the teams playing…
What happened? Did God lose interest in Tebow? Tebow lose faith in God? God come up against the limits of his divine power?
Surely if winning games was a great witness, winning the Superbowl would be an even greater one?
(on re-reading I can hear this being read in a sarcastic voice, but that's not how I wrote it – I'm not taunting, I'm genuinely inquiring into the implications of Charles' blog post)
Honestly, I have no idea. Assuming that I'm even right in the first place, I would say God cares enough to make sure His will is done, but not enough to just throw a wrench into all sports in general. Perhaps Tebow did all that he was supposed to do without winning the Superbowl.
David, apparently there's a limit on how much of His divine power God is going to use on a pointless sporting event. Sure God could get the mediocre 8-8 Broncos into the playoffs, and help them win their first playoff Game against the Steelers . . . but, apparently there's a limit.
I guess it's like praying before taking a test. You're hoping that God will help you stay calm and clearminded, and help you recall to mind the things you studied. But if you haven't studied all semester, God is not going to give you the answers.
Since this site uses the name "Adventist", where the world could stumble across it, allow me to change the subject from worldly, petty sports to:
Where Were They? Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; Psalm 107:10Why?Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High: Psalm 107:11Then….……..they fell down, and there was none to help. Psalm 107:12 Then What?Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder. Psalm 107:13,14The Result:Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:15
Dear Charles,
I am afraid I must take exception to the title of your article. If God has an NFL preference and is influencing outcomes, given yesterday's Super Bowl, He must be a New York Giants fan. Although, wouldn't you think he would want to side with the Saints? 😉
Jack
As a Packer fan, I certaintly hope not haha
Timo,
Which sentence in particular is the one that lost you? I'll try to clarify.
Everyone knows that games are won by the team that prays hardest, not the game with the greatest skill.
How could it be otherwise? It is also that way in all other facets of life, isn't it? Well, Australian Rules may be the exception…. A vastly superior game in every way as compared with American football.
Sorry for the nonsense. "Game" should have been "team," of course.
I know when you posted this article you knew you were going to get diverse feedback. Tebow is not the first sports person to pull the "on a mission from God" with the media. I remember when Mike Davis succeeded the legendary Bob Knight at Indiana he did the same thing…..and didn't last long. On the other hand Derek Fisher & Darrell Green are two players that immediately come to mind that have "talked the talk, walked the walk" in lifting up God…….and have not disappointed our faith in them, but to say God finds favor with Tebow, is to say God finds disfavor with individuals on the competing teams…who may also be Christians. The video referenced is also nothing new in sports. I could fill this page with examples of "miracle" comebacks acrosss the sports spectrum.
The real distinction with Tebow is in how vocal he is with his faith and how that has both enraptured and infuriated not only the sport's base but the entire social media. We know the young man now has a tremendous bulls-eye on his back. If he stumbles, the nay sayers will have a field day.
I guess I'm trying to figure out how a God who feeds the sparrows and numbers the hairs on your head feels that games tracked by millions are too trivial for His attention.
Of course, He may not be a Bronco's fan, but I am much inclined to believe He is aware of and involved in every aspect of the lives of His children. Or, He in not omniscient.
Certainly God follows and knows every move we make in every game, He even sheds tears when His children lose in the real game of the Great Controversy. Yet the rules are that on this you are on your own to make the final play.