Reflecting on Tebow Time

As the NFL football season winds down over the next couple of weeks, it is hard not to look back on the season without first thinking of Tim Tebow. The first thing that comes to mind is his clutch play-making abilitites that helped the Denver Broncos go from a 1-4 record to AFC West Division champions, but in light of his on-field success, his faith may have spoken louder than his play.

Most people know Tebow from his college football days at Florida University where he won the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and the BCS National Championship in 2007 and 2009. After graduating, he was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

What is infinitely more interesting about Tebow than his decorated football career is his life story. Tebow was born in Makati City in the Philippines, to American parents who were serving as Baptist missionaries at the time. His mother, Pamela Elaine is the daughter of a U.S. Army colonel, and his father, Robert Ramsey Tebow II, is a pastor. While pregnant, his mother suffered a life-threatening infection with a pathogenic amoeba. Because of the drugs used to rouse her from a coma and to treat her dysentery, the fetus experienced a severe placental abruption. Doctors had expected a stillbirth and recommended an abortion, even though illegal in the Phillipines, to protect her life, but she decided not to have one. The child born was Tim Tebow. He is the youngest of five children, all of whom were homeschooled by their mother, who worked to instill the family's Christian beliefs along the way.

If you had a chance to listen to any of Tebow’s interviews you would know that he begins each interview by thanking his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He also has become famously known for “Tebowing” which is when he kneels to pray after a scoring drive. The NFL became enamored with him because of his unorthodox style of play (he is a run first quarterback) and his faith.

Many athletes over the years have been Christians but none have put their faith front and center the way Tebow did this past season. During many of his interviews, he stressed that football was second in life to his faith and that he plans on using his football success as a platform to help others less fortunate than himself. He has already put this into practice. Each week before the Denver Broncos football game, he would fly a disabled or handicapped person to the game (many of them children), put them and their family up in a hotel, and personally meet them after the game.

When his teammates were asked what it was like to play with him, almost all of them commented on his faith, noting that his Christian beliefts appeared to be his source of strength. To say he inspired his teammates would be an understatement. Prior to the Broncos making him the starter in week 6, the team was off to an abysmal start, only winning one of their first five games. When Tebow took over, the team won seven of its next eight games with five of the wins coming down to late drives engineered by Tebow in the fourth quarter to win. Yet, during all of the hype and hoopla, Tebow always gave praise to his Lord and Savior and remained humble in victory.

As someone who has been a Christian for more than 20 years, Tebow has been quite an inspiration to me. As a diehard football fan, I never thought I would see the sport I love intersect with my faith in such a powerful way. It reminds me of the parable of the wicked vinedressers in Matthew 21:33-46. The parable speaks of a landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. He leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. When vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. But to his surprise and shock, the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. He sent more servants, more than the first, and they killed them as well. Finally, he sent his son thinking they would at least respect his son but the Scripture says that when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.” So they took the son and killed him.

In this parable, the vinedresser is God the Father and the servants are the prophets. The Son is Jesus Christ. This story illustrates God’s repeated attempts at reaching the nation Israel with His gospel message and their utter rejection. When I see Tim Tebow, I think of God sending someone to reach the football community. Don't laugh. The NFL is the number one sport in America. The Super Bowl is the most watched event every year on television. Last year alone, the game was broadcast in 110 countries. And here comes Tim Tebow with the gospel message and the life to illustrate its power. A man who was supposed to be aborted, alive and playing professional football and witnessing for the Lord. The Bible tells us that God often uses the foolish things of the world to confuse the wise and that he takes individuals of no report, of no status or reputation and uses them for His glory. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

I ask you to join me in praying for Tim Tebow. This off-season and next season will be a whirlwind for him. Please pray for his faith, his testimony, and his efforts to reach the lost. I may be a diehard New England Patriots fan, but I am rooting and praying fervently for Tim Tebow not to win football games but to bring glory to the Savior.
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"The believer does not use God's power; God's power uses him."
- Kenneth Wuest

By Way of Prayer

I have recently read a couple of books on prayer and have been contemplating my own prayer life in light of what the Bible teaches. It is interesting to note that Jesus never taught His disciples how to preach but He did teach them how to pray. Prayer is the means that God Himself has instituted to perform the will of heaven on earth. How it all works is hard to really put your finger on exactly just like so many other spiritual realities, but nonetheless, we can be assured that when we pray angels and demons are moved into action.

But why does it seem that so often our prayers never reach higher than the ceiling? I think James 5:16 provides a clue, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” The key word being “righteous.” Our prayers are only as effective as our life is holy and obedient to God. Of course, Jesus tells that if we put His kingdom first than all things will be added unto us. The Apostle John echoes this same sentiment when He tells us in his first epistle, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14)

Do you see a pattern emerging? If our prayers are to be heard then they need to be according to the will of God which is only possible if we are abiding in Christ. In other words, God is not obligated to answer any prayer from anyone who is not following His commands. I would also go one step further and add that if we are not following Christ then it is impossible for us to even ask the Lord for the right things in our lives or the lives of others. And I believe this point is paramount. Many of the prayers in the Bible are intercessory in nature. The praying person is praying for someone else. Abraham prayed for Lot and spared him from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Moses prayed for the people of Israel after they had erected the golden the calf and the Lord spared their lives because of Moses petition.

Our prayer life becomes strangely void of self the closer we are to God because he lays His will on our hearts. This is not to say that we are not to pray for ourselves as the Lord tells us to bring all our cares to Him but I have found in my own walk that the closer I am to the Lord the things that burden the Lord’s heart become my prayers. So often in mid-sentence my prayer will change as the Holy Spirit prompts the prayer that is most needful.

The Bible also admonishes us to prayer fervently and unceasingly. Prayer is to be the central focus of lives as believers. We see this in Acts chapter 6 when the church was in its infancy and it was brought to the apostles attention that the widows were being neglected. The apostles called the other disciples and told them to appoint seven men to help minister to the widows so they could give themselves completely to the ministry of the Word and prayer. Right here we see the importance of prayer as the apostles understood that it was critical that they did not neglect this area as the power of God over the church was at stake.

We seem to have lost this sense of urgency regarding prayer in today’s churches. I am not sure if it is because we do not believe in the power of prayer as much anymore or if it is because we have gotten too busy with life or even the ministry. It is critical that we get back to constant communion with God. I know it is something I want to be a focus in 2012. I hope it is for you as well.
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"Prayer strikes the winning blow; service is simply picking up the pieces." - S.D. Gordon