“Dear Heavenly Father,
We are overwhelmed by the beauty of Your creation. When we look at the snow-covered mountains and the crashing waves of the ocean, we are amazed. We pray that Your creation causes people to be drawn to You.
Thank you, Lord, for the skills you have given the athletes, and the passion they have for their sports. May they do their very best as they compete. Win or lose, may they be grateful for the opportunity to compete against the best athletes in the world. Remind the athletes who know You personally that they are competing for a higher purpose, to glorify You.
We pray safety over everyone in and around Sochi, including the athletes, coaches, officials, spectators, families, friends, chaplains, volunteers, staff, IOC personnel and everyone else.
We pray that the friendly competition during the Games will be used by You to help bring healing and reconciliation to the nations.
We pray for Christians who are at the Games to have many open doors to share the good news of Christ. Break down language barriers so that many will hear the good news that Jesus came to the earth to be the Savior of the world.
May the lasting results of these Games be more than just gold medals. May the lasting results of the Games be many, many people trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, receiving the free gift of eternal life.
God, be glorified during the Games.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
AMEN.”
Helpful Derek, thanks. I am here with Adam, looking forward to the opportunities we pray for.
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Seeking to turn the goodwill of the Olympics into “Good News Games” tells me, as someone who has served as a Chaplain for many years, that you don’t have much understanding of what the role of an effective Chaplain actually is. It seems to me that you are an evangelist/missionary using the title “Chaplain” quite loosely. Were you trained as a Chaplain, if so, how is this “chaplaincy”?
I think you misunderstood. At the 2010 Vancouver Games I served as a VANOC chaplain during the Games. I served in that role in the capacity that chaplains serve. For these Games, I am cheering and praying from the States. Therefore, I offered the prayer that you read for the various aspects of the Games, in and around Sochi during the Olympics.