God's Coaching #347

God's Coaching #347

For Matt Capps, this day in 2009 was a really bad day. The former Pittsburgh Pirates closer had endured the worst season of his young career, going 4–8 with an unsightly 5.80 earned-run average. So that December, the Pirates cut him. More than anything, Matt wanted to talk to his father, Mike. But that wasn’t possible. Two months earlier, Mike Capps had fallen off a ladder in his garage, gone into a coma, and died. Mike’s death was a devastating blow to Matt—much more so than being cut from a team. Mike had been Matt’s best friend and mentor for many years. They used to talk almost every day on the phone, especially after Matt had had a bad game. On nights Matt pitched, he would call his father around 1 a.m. to discuss his performance and receive helpful tips.

Sometimes Mike would give soothing words of encouragement. Other times he would offer constructive criticism. But either way, the conversations meant a great deal to Matt. In 2010, with the memory of his father fresh in his mind, Matt earned his first All-Star Game appearance, combining for a 2.47 ERA and 42 saves with the Minnesota Twins.

What’s the Score?

One of Matt Capps’s greatest joys in life was talking to his father every day. We should have the same attitude with our heavenly Father. Prayer is a great privilege. Do you treat it that way? Many Christians don’t. They think it’s too hard, or they don’t know what to say. Knowing this, Jesus gave us a model to follow in Matthew 6:9-13, which is known as the Lord’s Prayer.

Open your Bible and read this prayer. You’ll notice that Jesus encourages us first to praise God and to ask for our desires to match his (verses 9-10). We are to ask God to provide for our daily needs (verse 11) and to help us obey him, avoid sin, and show love to others (verses 12-13). Notice that selfish requests like “Please give me more video games” or “Please let my team win” are absent from the Lord’s Prayer. While it’s okay to make our requests known to God, our prayers should be focused on his will, not ours. The Bible has much more to say about prayer, but learning some of the basics from the Lord’s Prayer is a great way to start.

On the Ball

Memorize the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13.

Coach’s Comment

Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. Matthew 6:9