The Pre-game Prayer Week 3

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Dear Grandson, Praying for you each week is teaching me depths in my walk with Jesus!  Last night I was having a hard time sleeping, so I began praying for your upcoming game. The Lord quickly gave me the words heart, soul and mind, which led me to Matthew 22:37. My heart thrills with all I learned. 

“And he (Jesus) said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”

I Googled the meaning of those three words and one site equated them in this way. Our emotions (heart), actions (soul) and thoughts (mind).
You need all three of those under the control of Christ in a football game. Ha! I need those everyday just dealing with people.

Another pop up said, “We love God with all our heart when we love Him exclusively, Him and Him alone. We love God with all our soul when we find our satisfaction in Him more than any other person or thing. We love God with all our mind when we make decisions to obey His every command.”

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”   Isaiah 26:3

"If you put your heart and soul into something, you do it with a great deal of enthusiasm and energy.”   

Here’s this week’s prayer. 

God we praise You for how you have created us.  Nothing about our being is an accident. Knowing Jesus and the sacrifice he made for us makes it easy to surrender our hearts (emotions), souls (actions) and minds (thoughts) to You.  Each day, whether at a game or on the practice field, when you take the field you are always full of enthusiasm, energy and dedication. That makes not only an excellent athlete, but a wonderful person. Thank You Father, for who our grandson is in Christ and for the privilege of being his Mama Boo.

Lord, Coach Taylor on Friday Night Lights would say “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” But You, Father, are calling me to pray for these parts of our grandson's body. Keen eyes to read the plays coming towards him on offense and focus on the punter when snapping. (Oh, and to find Mama Boo in the stands LOL); excellent ears to hear my cheers from the stands and any audibles necessary (except “Your Mama wears combat boots” Wait, that’s a compliment these days Lord.); a focused mind to remember plays and react to the other players movement; and a soul to keep on keeping on no matter what comes your way. I pray for your hands as they grasp the ball to snap or intercept, may you feel Jesus’ hands on yours guiding you, and I pray your mouth will to be used as an encouragement to others on and off the field with heartfelt respect.

Lord, please have your Holy Spirit remind him to constantly pray to have the ability to maintain the same focus and values that Christ has as he maneuvers not only the football field, but life in a world that is far from a Christ centered lens.

Finally, Lord, may the love he has for You keep joy, peace, safety and laughter in every day.    In Jesus’ name, Amen

The Song

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