RACING ON A PRAYER

KEY VERSE:

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. 1 Chronicles 16:11.

ESSAY:

“Oh, say can you see?”

In the United States, amateur and professional sporting events usually begin with those words, the first lines of the United States National Anthem. It seems perfectly fitting and appropriate to me to pay patriotic tribute to our nation before boxing, basketball and baseball.

But there is one professional sporting event in America that does more than just the Star Spangled Banner. NASCAR begin their pre-race event with a prayer. A Christian prayer. They pray to God. They say, “in Jesus’ name, Amen.” I love it. The televised prayer comes just before the anthem and the four most important words in racing, “Gentleman (or Drivers) start your engines.”

Why don’t more sporting events start with prayer? Why is only NASCAR willing to honor the Almighty? A couple of quick thoughts as to why:

1) NASCAR is very big in the South, known as the “Bible Belt.” The people of the Southern United States seem more predisposed to accepting Christian tradition.

2) Auto racing is a very dangerous sport and the prayer almost always requests that the Creator keep the cars and their drivers safe from harm. When you have large objects made of metal hurling around a circle at 200 mph, praying for safety and seeking the Lord’s face seems wise.

Regardless of why NASCAR does it, I am grateful they do. My son loves to watch NASCAR. Every week he sees the drivers and their pit crews praying on national TV. The prayer is always offered by a pastor, usually one from the local area of the race track. For those at the venue who are looking for a home church or some spiritual guidance, they now have a name and a face to look up in their region. And to the national TV audience watching at home, often on a Sunday, praying in Jesus’ name reminds them of God, maybe even convicts them of sin. Praying before the race is a win-win for everyone involved. Let’s pray that more of the sports world will follow NASCAR’s lead.

APPLICATION:

            Do you pray before your meal in a restaurant? (For that matter, do you remember to pray before your meal in the privacy of your own home?) I confess I am not always faithful at remembering to do that. NASCAR is taking a public stand to honor God. We should be willing to do the same. After all, the verse from 1^st Chronicles says to seek his face “always.” Always encompasses both our public and our private life. Pray, along with me, that the next time we are eating in public we remember to stop and pray to God. And when we see others doing the same, whether it is in a restaurant or at a racetrack, let’s thank them for publicly honoring God and encourage them to keep it up.

This essay is from my book More Autism and Awesometism: Devotionals From and About a Special Needs Family.