So there was nothing to watch on TV last night, but instead of picking up a book or doing some work around the house, I settled on watching NASCAR. I know it sounds odd that I would want to watch a bunch of guys make a bunch of left turns around a track that’s less than a mile long, but I just couldn’t pull away from it. Maybe it was the excitement of the crashes in traffic or the fact that I would love to drive that fast on a track somewhere. What I want to talk about here is what happened before they even started their engines.
I was immediately set back when the first thing I saw before the race began was a public prayer. Seeing them pray before the race on national TV along with the fact that the popular Christian music station, K-Love, has a car now probably kept me engaged more than any other aspect. Alice Rhee of MSNBC writes:
America’s No. 1 spectator sport, with 75 million fans coast to coast, is a growing community of faith. And the most prominent figures in the sport display their faith as proudly as they do their corporate logos.
If the number one spectator sport in America is not afraid to show faith in this way, then why are other sports in America not following suit? We could get into a debate on what our country was founded on, but when it comes down to it, faith in Christ is intertwined with our nation. I think sometimes we forget that and become complacent about the role of our faith in our nation. We need to stop being afraid of offending people with our faith and just stand up and pray. It’s not enough to watch our pastors and church leaders pray. We all need to pray in every situation. It took one evening with nothing else on TV to remind me of that.
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How does praying at NASCAR and other sports (the faith and sport combination is not a new thing) relate to Matthew 6: 5-6 “5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”?
Does God call Christians to be insanely wealthy superstar athletes? Here in Richmond the Nascar track is surrounded by poverty and need. Does it take more faith for a millionaire to pray for help making circles around a ring, or for a poor and hungry mother to pray for a meal for her children?
I get what you’re saying. I think we have a different perspective though. I don’t see a prayer before a race as them saying “look at us, we’re so godly.” I see it as not being afraid to keep God in the forefront of the sport.
When it comes to the relationships that people have with Christ, I’m not one to say whether one person has that relationship or not. Even many of those who are living in poverty in America are among the rich when compared to the world. Jesus said that is difficult, not impossible, for a rich man to man to enter The Kingdom.
I think too often we look for ways to judge others instead of looking at ourselves. When I saw them praying before the race, I was reminded that my prayer life is lacking and that I need to get over my fear of public prayer.