00:01Oh boy, so this one had me thinking. You know, there's a question that sounds simple,
00:06almost playful at first, but if you sit with it long enough, it starts to press on something
00:13deeper. How does God break a tie? No, think about this. I think about this every year. Every Saturday
00:22you could find my wife and I sitting on the couch watching college football. We love to watch
00:27college football, but picture this clearly. Two locker rooms, two circles of athletes, heads bowed,
00:37hands joined. One group praying, Lord, give us the victory. Across the field, another group praying
00:47the exact same words with the exact same sincerity. Now, both love their families. Both have worked
00:56hard. Both believe and both hope. So what does God do? Does he measure which prayer has more emotion?
01:09Or does he evaluate which team has more believers? Does he scan the roster for the most faithful player
01:17and tilt the scoreboard accordingly? Or does he go for the team that has the most people following
01:27the correct religion? Is there a correct religion? You know, if God simply chooses sides based on
01:36preference, he would shrink into something small, like a cosmic referee with a favorite jersey.
01:44But scripture? Well, scripture paints a much bigger picture. Jesus said in Matthew that the father causes his son
01:56to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. That means God's
02:07love
02:08love is not tribal. It's not confined to one color, one nation, one locker room, or one religion. God is
02:16not pacing
02:17heaven nervously, watching a clock tick down. He is orchestrating eternity. And that changes the entire
02:27conversation. Because maybe, just maybe, the question isn't, who does God want to win?
02:36Maybe the question is, what is God building in each heart? When David stood before Goliath,
02:46it wasn't about a sporting contest. It was about trust. When Moses confronted Pharaoh,
02:54it wasn't about ego. It was about obedience. When Daniel prayed despite the decree,
03:02it wasn't about proving a point. It was about faithfulness. Now, God has always been more
03:12concerned with formation than performance. So, let's go a little deeper. Imagine that one team wins
03:21dramatically. The stadium erupts. Cameras flash. They feel invincible. But what if that win
03:30is a test? What if it reveals pride lurking beneath the surface? What if it tempts them to believe
03:39they succeeded? They succeeded alone? And imagine the other team loses in heartbreak? Silence in the locker
03:48room? Tears? Disappointment? But what if that loss forges resilience? What if it humbles without crushing?
04:00What if it becomes the moment that bonds them, strengthens them, and deepens them?
04:09You see, the scoreboard shows one story. God is writing another. We often approach prayer as a transaction.
04:19God, if you love me. God, if you love me, prove it by giving me what I want. But prayer
04:26was never designed
04:28to control outcomes. It was designed to align hearts. And in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed,
04:37Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. That was a real request. Honest? Vulnerable?
04:48But he followed it with, yet not my will, but yours be done. Now that second sentence is the heartbeat
04:59of
05:00faith. Because the cross did not disappear. The pain did not vanish. But redemption was born through
05:09surrender. Sometimes when two people pray for opposite outcomes, God is not weighing which desire to
05:18fulfill. He's asking both. Will you trust me beyond the outcome? And that's the real tension, isn't it?
05:28If faith only survives when we win, it isn't faith. It's convenience. Consider Paul. Now, I love Paul. He is
05:39one of my
05:40favorites. He begged God to remove the thorn in his flesh. Three times he prayed. Three times the answer was
05:50no.
05:51Yet that no carried a deeper promise. My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect
06:01in weakness. Now, Paul did not get relief. He got refinement. And refinement, well, it's more than,
06:13it's of more value than relief. When two sides pray for victory, God can answer both in ways we don't
06:23immediately see. He can give one the joy of triumph and test their humility. He can give the other the
06:32gift
06:32of perspective and strengthen their perseverance. He can protect both from injury. He can deepen unity and
06:42expose character. He can use the platform of the moment to point someone toward purpose.
06:50Now, God's work is not limited to the final score. This doesn't just apply to sports. I want you to
07:00think about this with me. It applies to promotions, to court cases, to elections, to business contracts,
07:09relationships, even two people praying for opposite outcomes. Heavenly Father, let me get the job.
07:20Heavenly Father, Heavenly Father, let me win this case or this contract. What does God do? Does he flip a
07:29coin? No. He sees timelines we don't. He sees consequences we can't. You know, I love that. He sees consequences
07:39as we can't. Sometimes we should thank God for unanswered prayers because sometimes it's not rejection.
07:48It's protection. He sees where each path leads five years down the road. What if the job you prayed for
07:58would have broken your health? What if the relationship you begged to keep would have derailed your calling?
08:06What if that contract you wanted? What if that no protects you from something you cannot yet see?
08:16You see, faith is trusting that God's vision is wider than your desire. When we ask, how does God break
08:25a tie?
08:27We assume the ultimate goal is fairness in the moment. But God's, excuse me, I've had a little cough lately.
08:36Sorry.
08:37But God's justice and love operate on an eternal scale. And a father watching his children compete
08:45cannot award two first places. But he can love both equally. He can strengthen both. He can guide both.
08:54He can use both outcomes to grow both hearts. Now, multiply that by infinity and you begin to glimpse how
09:09God works.
09:10He is not choosing favorites. He's shaping futures. And the world measures victory by applause.
09:17Heaven? Well, heaven measures victory by transformation. The world celebrates the trophy. Heaven celebrates integrity.
09:30The world will remember the champion. But heaven will remember the character forged along the way.
09:39So, how does God break a tie? Well, sometimes he doesn't break it at all.
09:47Sometimes he breaks pride. Sometimes he breaks fear. He breaks our illusion that control equals peace.
09:58And in that breaking, he builds something unshakable. Imagine if before every competition, instead of praying, let us win, we
10:09prayed, let us honor you.
10:12Imagine if instead of saying, God, give us victory. We said, give us courage. Give us humility. Give us resilience.
10:24And that prayer can be answered for both teams simultaneously. Because God's resources are not scarce. His grace is not
10:37divided. His love is not rationed.
10:41He is not a limited referee handing out points. He's a limitless father cultivating souls. And one day, the trophies
10:53will gather dust. The banners will fade. And the headlines, well, they will be forgotten.
11:01But the faith formed in victory or defeat. Well, that endures for a lifetime.
11:08So, the next time you see two sides praying opposite prayers, don't picture God stressed over a tie.
11:16Picture him standing over two hearts, asking the same question of both. Will you trust me, even here?
11:27Because the greatest win has never been about the scoreboard. It was always about becoming who you were created to
11:39be. And that victory is available on both sides of the field.
11:48I'm Douglas Vandergraaf and I believe in Jesus Christ. God bless you, my friends. Bye-bye.
Comments