The Lord's Prayer: Wisdom for Christian Athletes
It was the start of my under age 10 soccer season. Our new coach gathered the team together to end practice and give us a task to complete before the first game – memorize the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-14. As a new believer, I was amped as this was my first introduction to integrating faith and sport.
During the first game of the season, we huddled together and stumbled our way through the prayer. It was a simultaneously awkward and joyful moment. Every weekend for the next several years of my life, I prayed the Lord’s Prayer before taking the soccer field. Like tying the shoelaces on my soccer cleats, it became an essential task before taking the field. Unbeknownst to me, the 5 verses that became a game day ritual held all the wisdom I needed to navigate life and sport.
A Warning - From Superstition to Practical Wisdom
Over time, reciting the Lord’s Prayer became rudimentary and ritualistic. I performed the exercise with little thought. It was muscle memory. Eventually, what began as a faith and sport practice became superstition. I correlated winning or a good performance with whether or not I chanted The Lord’s Prayer before the game.
In Matthew 6:7-8, Jesus gives a warning I needed to hear:
“And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the pagans do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
Pagan prayer practices often included reciting or chanting to different deities in an effort to coerce them. There was magical thinking behind these chants thought to give the person leverage over the deity. Jesus is giving a different perspective centered on relationship with God and trust in God’s provision. Jesus is taking the performance and superstitious motives out of prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer is not a string of verses to recite as a way to spiritually manipulate God for results. God knows what we need before we ask, and what we need is a blueprint for how to live.
What is the Lord’s Prayer?
In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus taught listeners about access to God through prayer and how that prayer could shape their lives. The Lord's Prayer is central to the Sermon on the Mount, which summarizes life in the Kingdom of God. Its placement in the center emphasizes the importance Jesus placed on this prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is meant to illuminate God’s purposes in the world and give practical wisdom for how to operate in the Kingdom of Heaven. Each line is an invitation to ask God for what we really need – the abundant life.
Wisdom for Life and Sport
In the book “Bringing Heaven Here”, Brad Gray and Brad Nelson unpack the significant meaning of the Lord’s Prayer. They begin by recognizing its power: “When you understand this prayer, not only does it unleash the power of Scripture, but it unlocks you – revealing your purpose on earth and your role in God’s mission.” As I recited the Lord’s Prayer before soccer games as a kid, I had no idea the power I was unleashing into the world. Power that could transform my entire identity and purpose in life. The implications of this prayer had less to do with my performance and everything to do with heaven invading the world – including the world of sport.
Breaking down the meaning in each line of the prayer will guide us to a deeper understanding of life in the Kingdom of God.
Our Father in the Heavens
Jesus combines several ideas in the first line of the prayer: God’s authority, majesty, and transcendence along with defining our relationship with God as His children. The familial language shows us the closeness and love of God while pointing out that God Our Father is in full control. Athlete, ask God to give you faith to live and compete as though your Heavenly Father is watching with delight – win or lose. Your identity as a child of God precedes any performance as an athlete.
Holy is Your Name
Holy can mean “set apart” or “seperate.” In the Hebrew Bible, God’s name was another word for God’s character. Therefore, God’s character is set apart. God is unlike anything in this world. In Genesis 1:26-27, God gives humans a purpose: to represent God’s name to the world as God’s image bearers. Athlete, God has given you a purpose in sport beyond results – to worship God and glorify His name as you compete. Ask God to teach you more about His character, so that you can respond in worship and better represent God’s holy name in the game, in the locker room, in meetings with your coach, as you handle a loss or celebrate a victory.
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done
The type of kingdom Jesus was ushering into the world was unlike anything expected or imagined. It’s a kingdom with a king (Jesus) who serves others, seeks the lost, cares for the poor, and restores human dignity with everyone he encounters. Athlete, if you follow King Jesus then you belong to God’s kingdom. God’s will for you, as citizens of heaven, is to expand this kingdom by telling others about Jesus and faithfully living out his example. Ask God to help you see others as God sees them. Ask for opportunities to bring the Kingdom as you serve others and honor the dignity in every teammate, official, coach, and support staff.
Give Us This Day, Our Daily Bread
This line in the prayer is a direct call back to the wilderness story where God provides mana (bread) for his people for 40 years (Exodus 16; Deut 8). It’s a reminder of God’s provision, grace, and generous care for people. Viewing each day as a gift full of God’s generosity helps us move from a scarcity mindset leading to envy and strife to an abundance mindset leading to gratitude and trust in God. Athlete, thank God for the opportunity to compete and play the sport you love. There is no need to compare because the abilities you possess are God-given and sufficient. Ask God to open your eyes to His generosity and abundance.
Forgive Us As We Forgive Others
Forgiveness can be pictured as releasing someone from a debt. Colossians 2:14 tells us that Jesus ‘canceled the record of charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.’ Athlete, ask God for forgiveness often. Take responsibility for your weakness or wrong doing knowing the blood of Jesus has released you. Your teammates, coaches, and even officials will get it wrong from time to time. Whether they intentionally or unintentionally sin against you, ask God for help to release them and seek reconciliation through forgiveness.
Lead Us Not Into Temptation
Another way of phrasing this line in the prayer would be “let us not fail the test.” Jesus was led into temptation following his baptism (Matthew 4:1-11). Each temptation tested what Jesus believed about identity, power, and ambition. Jesus responds to each test with scripture outlining who God made Him to be. Athlete, you will be tempted by the world of sport to find your security, worth, and identity in performance. You may even be tempted to abuse the power that comes with talent. Ask God to align your identity and ambitious desire with His truth. God has all the answers we need to pass the test.
Deliver Us From Evil
To be delivered from something is to be rescued or dragged out of danger. In the Exodus story, the Israelites were delivered from an oppressive Egyptian regime. The Egyptian regime was depicted as evil and threatened to form God’s people in its evil patterns. This line in the prayer is a call for help as we live in our current reality: a world affected by evil – sports included. Athlete, sports have the power to form you for good or evil. Ask God to reveal the ways in which sport is malforming your soul. Let the love and power of God deliver you from this evil.
For Yours is the Kingdom, Power, and Glory Forever
This line was likely added in the Early Church to mark the end of the liturgical prayer. The power and grace of God are essential for answering subsequent supplications, shifting focus from self-righteous works to God's glorious, displayed power. Athlete, remember God Our Father knows what you truly need before you ask Him. God will provide everything you need to live out this prayer and become fully human as His image bearer.
Prayer in Practice
The Lord’s Prayer was never meant to be a ritual leading to performance results. The Lord’s Prayer is a meditation on the abundant life available to us here and now in the Kingdom of God. So next time you recite this prayer, slow down. Listen to every word from Jesus that drips with meaning. Let that meditation unleash true power and wisdom for navigating sport and life.
