This prayer checklist is meant as a guide for the season. Prayer is a conversation not a monologue. Always leave space for God to speak and lead.
Pre-Season:
Right Team:
best fit for our family: schedule, other parents, cost
best fit for our athlete: challenge their skills, out of comfort zone
teammates: cohesion and friendship, opportunities to serve
to grow athlete
team that honors God
leading & wisdom as we search
Lord, guide us as we search for a team. Help us find the team that will help grow _________. Helps us find a team that honors You. Lead us as we search for a team. Help us to be open to a new team if that is where you are leading. In Your name, amen.
Right Coach:
loves the Lord
lead athletes to have godly character
eyes to see gifts and talents
protection over coach
Lord, we pray for a coach who loves you. We pray you guide our coach to instill Godly character into his/her players. Guide our coach to have eyes to see each player and their gifts and talents and protect them from negativity and attack. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Priorities/Balance:
focus us on You and Your mission for our family and athlete
margin and expectations
flexibility and patience within family
budget and finances
put aside my wants/desires for the season
As we begin this season, Lord, keep our family focused on honoring You at all times. My tendency is to put myself and my athlete first. Lord, help me to put You first. This season is not about me, it is about the work You will do through ___________, the coaches and the team. Set realistic goals and expectations in my heart for this season. Give us margin and realistic expectations. Grant us flexibility and patience when schedules change, and things don’t go as planned. Protect our budget and finances. We want to honor you with our time and money – guide us as we go through the season. Show us the mission you have for us this season. Make us available to serve You through this team. In Your name, amen.
In Season
Protection:
travel
injury
identity
Lord, we pray for your protection over this team. Keep us safe as we travel for practices and tournaments. Protect _______ and his/her teammates from injury. Most importantly, protect ________’s identity in You. No matter the outcomes, mistakes, or honors, ________ is dearly loved by You and us. Help us remind him/her of that every day. In Your name, amen.
The team:
know value
work together
honor God
do their best
As this team plays, we pray You bring them together as one. Put aside egos and build friendships. May this team honor You with their words, actions and play. We ask that they would always be prompted to do their best no matter the score because it brings You glory and honor. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Coach:
use words wisely
protection
influence
Lord, we lift Coach ________ to You. Guard coach’s words. May he/she use them to correct and build the team. Protect coach from those who seek to tear him/her down. Guide him/her to use their influence as the coach for good. Help them to see their influence as a gift. In Your name, amen.
Praise:
ability
opportunity
after each game
Lord, we are so grateful for the athletic gifts you have given _______. Thank you for the growth we see each game. We do not take for granted the opportunity you have given him/her. Thank you, Lord. Amen.
Post-Season
Praise:
coach
team
opportunity
growth
Thank you, Lord for this season! We are so grateful for this coach, this team and all the opportunities it brought us. Thank you for the friendships and chances to grow as believers. Thank you for Coach _______ who led us. Thank you for the growth the team experienced and that ____________ experienced personally. We do not take for granted the blessing it is to be able to be part of a travel ball team. Thank you! Amen.
Leading:
Is this what You want?
Are You leading us elsewhere?
Is a scholarship possible?
What is next for us?
At the end of this season, Lord, we seek you. Please show us Your plan for our family. Is this team what you want for us? If it is not, please show us where You would have us go. Give us eyes to see if a scholarship is possible and help us navigate all that goes into that process. If a scholarship is not possible right now, help us navigate that as well. Show us where we can build skills. We want to honor you, God, so show us what is next on this sports journey. In Your gracious name, amen.