Ready:
“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” – Philippians 4:6
Set:
Being a coach or athlete has no shortage of challenges. It’s tempting to focus on the hard things: long hours of practice, unjustified criticism, injuries, bad weather…and the list goes on. When this is the focus, it leads to complaining, grumbling and a “poor me” attitude. We don’t like to be around people like this—and people don’t like to be around us if we’re like this!
How can we resist this negative perspective, which undermines our effectiveness as those who desire to honor the Lord and influence others for Him? Philippians 4:6 encourages us to bring all the challenging things of our life and sport to God in prayer. We’re also directed to do something else: pray “with thanksgiving.”
A key to resisting negativity and to instead honoring the Lord is to make prayers of gratitude a consistent part of our prayer practice plan. Here are two practical ways to do so:
1. As you pray, begin with gratitude. Psalm 100’s charge to come to God in worship and prayer includes this instruction (v. 4): “Enter his gates with thanksgiving.” When you begin your prayers by choosing to find reasons to be grateful to God, it changes your perspective on the challenges you’re encountering. Yes, these things are hard. However, since you started by recognizing ways God is graciously working in you and around you, providing for you, giving you good gifts, etc., you’re reminded that you can trust Him with current challenges. This helps you resist the temptation to grumble and complain.
2. Look for reasons to say “Thank you, God” throughout the day. Anytime you experience something good during the day, big or small, pause to recognize God’s hand in this and give thanks to Him. Anytime something reminds you of His love, faithfulness, grace, or anything else about how God relates to you, take a moment to express your gratitude to Him. It can be just a quick, silent prayer. As you develop this habit day by day, it helps you live with joy and confidence in the Lord.
Making prayers of gratitude a consistent part of your prayer practice plan transforms your perspective. It also leads to far greater effectiveness in honoring Christ and influencing others for Him.
Go:
What are five things you can thank God for today?
What steps can you take to more consistently practice prayers of gratitude to God?
Workout:
Overtime:
“Father, I thank You for Your goodness to me. Thank You for salvation and life through Your Son. Thank You that I can bring all things in my sport and life to You and trust Your gracious work. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”