A football player's prayer

Gordon plays football on his school team. And he's good at it. He told what happened during a recent game.

"I am a football player; I pour my heart and soul into it. A few weeks ago my team was playing one of the top teams in the state. I was playing defensive tackle. On the third play of the game, I made a tackle in the backfield. Another player hit my leg, and afterward I could not move my knee. The first thought that ran through my head was that I was seriously injured."

Things looked bad, but Gordon knew he wanted to think about God instead of thinking about being hurt. He thought about how God made him. He remembered an idea he'd read in a book about the Bible, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. It talks about how God, Spirit, made man in His image and likeness. The book comes to the conclusion: "...man is not material; he is spiritual" (see pg. 468).

Gordon kept thinking about how he really was spiritual and Godlike. God couldn't be hurt or broken, so he didn't need to expect pain and suffering.

He couldn't play any more that night, but Gordon kept praying while he was on the sidelines. After the game, his coach recommended that he go to the hospital. Gordon knew that he could be healed by praying to God. He'd had healings before when he'd prayed. He thanked the coach for his concern, but decided to continue his prayers.

So Gordon prayed during the next week, and then he said, "By Friday I was able to play at full strength. I had the best game of my life - with 2-1/2 sacks (that means Gordon was able to tackle the quarterback before he could throw the ball) and a safety. I was very grateful."

Gordon played in the final two games of the season as well. His team ended the year with their first winning season in more than 10 years. He was grateful for that, too.

Before he plays in a game, Gordon takes time to pray the Lord's Prayer. "This prayer is reassuring, because it shows me that God is with me."

The Lord's Prayer is the way Jesus taught his disciples to pray. Lots of people pray with this prayer.

Just as Gordon said, the prayer makes us think about how God is our perfect Father, and that we're always with Him. The prayer tells us about how God is so powerful, he's like a great and good king who is in charge of everything, including each of us. God takes care of us by giving us what we need to be happy and healthy. He loves us so much that he helps us be good, and He saves us from being hurt. He heals us. We can be certain that He will be our Father, God, forever and ever.

Here is the prayer:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.

You can pray with this prayer, too. And just as with Gordon, this kind of praying can change things for you. One line in the prayer talks about how God's will is done in earth as it is in heaven. God helps us right where we are, with everyday problems.

When you pray this prayer and are sure that God is good and powerful and that you're with God, you feel loved and cared for by God. Then you actually see that God's good is all around you. Things change in your life.

God answers our prayers and takes care of us because He loves us.

Our Master taught his disciples

one brief prayer, which we name after him the Lord's Prayer.

Our Master said, "After this manner therefore pray ye,"

and then he gave that prayer

which covers all human needs.

Mary Baker Eddy

(founder of the Monitor)