Against Pats, did Tebow have a Prayer?

And so, in the alternate reality that is the NFL playoffs, Goliath did thus smite David.  Or at least that’s how it felt watching the Patriots crush Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos last Saturday evening.

I found it ironic that the subject matter of my church’s service the next morning was the story of David and Goliath. According to Jay Glazer of FOX, on Saturday morning Tim Tebow delivered a speech to his teammates, urging the team to play the role of David, against the Goliaths known as the Patriots. For those unfamiliar with the story (or that think Goliath was a talking dog that provided a moral compass for his owner, Davey), David was a young Hebrew shepherd who volunteered to fight mano a mano against a nine foot giant representing the Philistine army. Armed only with his faith in God and a few river stones, David fells Goliath in triumph.

Much has been made of Tebow’s propensity to pray openly during games and to share his faith via face paint touting the Bible passage John 3:16. 43% of Americans surveyed said they believed that some kind of divine intervention was at work during those games in which the Denver Broncos were able to pull out a win in the fourth quarter.  I find it heartening that those people surveyed believe in a divine being, but disturbing to think that they believe that God has no better way to spend his time than to influence a professional football game.

I admire Tim Tebow. As a Christian, I admire anyone who feels that comfortable crediting God with his talents and abilities and is unafraid to use his public position to share that faith. I don’t consider it any different than watching baseball players point their fingers heavenward after hitting a home run, or listening to an actor thank God for a role that yielded an Oscar. As comfortable as I am with my own faith, I find Tim Tebow’s willingness to pray openly in front of thousands of fans and millions of viewers inspiring.

To many, football itself is a religion; Americans worship at the altars of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers each Sunday. They say prayers for touchdowns and interceptions. They follow their own rituals to insure positive outcomes, such as wearing a lucky hat or a favorite jersey, or banning all outsiders from their own personal man-cave, lest that person bring about a negative outcome for their team.  

Instead of putting their faith in the Lord, fans put their faith in the hands of Bill Belichick.  And yet, Tebow gets grief for injecting some real religion into the mix.

Tebow has been both lauded and criticized for his public expressions of faith.  He’s been parodied on Saturday Night Live and impersonated by Jimmy Fallon (and if you have not yet seen Fallon’s “Tebowie”, do yourself a favor and Google it).  I think it’s a stretch to compare Tebow to David, future King of Israel and position Tom Brady and the Patriots as a band of Philistines.  If divine intervention was indeed present at previous Broncos games, what happened Saturday night? A friend of mine posted her hypothesis on Facebook; that Jesus might have been busy shopping at Patriot Place while the Broncos got their butts handed to them by the Patriots. 

Personally I think another friend’s assessment was a bit more accurate:

“God answers all prayers…but sometimes the answer is no.”