Hey Everyone,
The world around us today seems to thrive on competition--there seem to contests, competitions, and tournaments for just about every activity one can think of (and why does it seem that most of them are televised to boot?)
I myself am not big on competition because only the winner seems to "count"--and everyone else gets lost in the shuffle. However, over the years, I've known friends and family who have competed in a myriad of various competitions for everything from painting miniatures, cooking, and crafting to music, sports, and triathlons.
Recently, a good Christian friend expressed that she felt it was a bit selfish to pray that her team would win a competition, and that instead, it seemed better to pray that everyone would do their best.
This really got me thinking--in our highly competitive world, is it a sin--to pray to win?
For example, what do you suggest praying for:
* Your children or younger family members (nieces, nephews, etc.) when they participate in team sports games or group competitions (such as band, etc.)?
* Yourself or a friend/family member who is participating in a sport and/orentering an individual competition (i.e, should you pray that Aunt Edith will finally win that prestigious chili cook-off)?
* And, this may be the most personal question of all--what do you pray for your favorite college/professional teams? Do you believe God is rooting for, or wills a certain team to win? Do you pray that your favorite team will win that Super Sports Fiesta competition? (In the recent Olympics, did anyone pray that their country's teams would win?)
If God had someone in mind that He wants to win an event or competition (and I don't think this is completely unBiblical, seeing as Esther "won" a heathen beauty pageant, as well as the attention of the king), how would He choose, especially if the members of both teams (and/or their fans) are Christians?
I often wondered this as a kid because I grew up in a Christian school that competed against other Christian schools. If "everyone" on all the teams and their parents were all Christians, how would God "choose" a winner if they were all praying to win?
I realize there probably aren't any "right" or "wrong" answers here (aside from cases of selfish intention, which seems like it would definitely be a sin), but I thought it would be interesting to hear what people think.
I'm posting this in Singles because this is my primary hideout
(and because many singles keep themselves busy by attending such events), but anyone who stops by is welcome to make that winning post!
The world around us today seems to thrive on competition--there seem to contests, competitions, and tournaments for just about every activity one can think of (and why does it seem that most of them are televised to boot?)
I myself am not big on competition because only the winner seems to "count"--and everyone else gets lost in the shuffle. However, over the years, I've known friends and family who have competed in a myriad of various competitions for everything from painting miniatures, cooking, and crafting to music, sports, and triathlons.
Recently, a good Christian friend expressed that she felt it was a bit selfish to pray that her team would win a competition, and that instead, it seemed better to pray that everyone would do their best.
This really got me thinking--in our highly competitive world, is it a sin--to pray to win?
For example, what do you suggest praying for:
* Your children or younger family members (nieces, nephews, etc.) when they participate in team sports games or group competitions (such as band, etc.)?
* Yourself or a friend/family member who is participating in a sport and/orentering an individual competition (i.e, should you pray that Aunt Edith will finally win that prestigious chili cook-off)?
* And, this may be the most personal question of all--what do you pray for your favorite college/professional teams? Do you believe God is rooting for, or wills a certain team to win? Do you pray that your favorite team will win that Super Sports Fiesta competition? (In the recent Olympics, did anyone pray that their country's teams would win?)
If God had someone in mind that He wants to win an event or competition (and I don't think this is completely unBiblical, seeing as Esther "won" a heathen beauty pageant, as well as the attention of the king), how would He choose, especially if the members of both teams (and/or their fans) are Christians?
I often wondered this as a kid because I grew up in a Christian school that competed against other Christian schools. If "everyone" on all the teams and their parents were all Christians, how would God "choose" a winner if they were all praying to win?
I realize there probably aren't any "right" or "wrong" answers here (aside from cases of selfish intention, which seems like it would definitely be a sin), but I thought it would be interesting to hear what people think.
I'm posting this in Singles because this is my primary hideout
(and because many singles keep themselves busy by attending such events), but anyone who stops by is welcome to make that winning post! 
