If prayer won games?

As a Denver Bronco fan of more than 40 years, I wonder whether it would have been appropriate to actually pray for a win.  Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.  Next to Jesus and my family (both blood and Christian), the Broncos rank up there as one of my passions, even to the point that a Bronco win or lose plays with my emotions.  Yet, it would be absolutely stupid for me to pray for a Bronco win.  Why?  It's about not just what you love, but what you worship.
Peyton Manning was asked, again, about his legacy and he wanted to be known for giving it his all and that did he did all he could so that his teammates could as well.  Some no-it-all sports talk show guys said something like, "I think he wants his legacy to include being better than John Elway and Tom Brady and, right now, he isn't."  That epitomizes the difference between someone who loves sports and someone who worships sports.  I don't know what Manning believes about Jesus, but I do know he has a pretty good perspective on sport's place in life.
If prayer won games, then, I still wouldn't do it, for my God is much bigger than that and cares for His creation way too much to allow them to elevate sports to that level.  So, let's utilize our requests of the Most High God for things having to do with things that the Most High God would honor.
A humiliating loss in the Super Bowl does not compare to the possibility of leaving for Chile this Wednesday and spending 16 days away from my family, for nothing.  We must pray for God to move!  As a result, please pray for the following from now through our trip (see previous blog for itinerary) and beyond as the Lord leads:

• Revival amongst the pastors and leaders for make disciples and multiplying.
• Establishing a network of mutual encouragement across cultural, geographic, and language barriers.
• Freedom to proclaim God’s Word.
• Solid commitments to Christ and His Kingdom.
• Sensitivity to the Spirit’s leading, doing EXACTLY as the Lord leads.
• Our growth in the Lord and that God would grab ahold of our hearts.
• Healthy interaction and relationship-building between us three as well as the two others going (Alex & Julie Mandes, he is the Hispanic Director for EFCA).
• Gateway Training (Feb. 8-9) would lead to not only solid theology but practical application as well.
• Church Planting Boot Camp (Feb. 15-16) would be ultra practical with God’s truth.  Carlyn, Manuel, and I will have opportunity to teach during this time.
• Mutual encouragement and refreshment amongst fellow workers for the Kingdom.
• My ability to understand and speak Spanish.
• That we wouldn’t fall off the side of the mountain.

Of infinite more value than winning games, join me in the real battle.  The real battle is doing all we can to convince people that the only way to live life here is to not live it for the "here and now" but to give it to the One in charge of the "here and now" as well as the "there and then" and beyond.