“Final Non-Qualifier.” Those words might not mean anything to you, but to me it meant shattered dreams, hours of hard work nullified, and a son who would be stripped of a $200k scholarship to Miami University and on his way home. The NCAA did not accept a class that our “son” Rokeem took in high school which caused him to be one class shy of qualifying to play Division I football. The news came on the day he officially started practice and he was immediately removed from the team.
ClampWe were in shock. I was confused, hurt, angry and helpless. Rokeem was completely defeated and wanted to come home. God had moved mountains for him to be there. Why would He allow this to happen? I began to cry out to God. At 6 a.m., I texted my prayer warrior, Yesu, who got up and began to pray immediately. Later, I would find out that he had just traveled 28 hours from India and arrived home at 2:30 a.m. that morning. I want to be that type of prayer warrior! I fasted all day, and came to God in desperation. The Lord impressed upon me two thoughts. The first was, “Why are you not coming to me in desperation for the lost this way?” The second was, “Never forget that you need me.”
I realized that prayer was more about getting on God’s agenda rather than trying to get Him on mine. Prayer was a way for me to seek God’s character, not just his checkbook. Prayer was about leaning on Him rather than my own ability.
And so I texted Rokeem, “Do you believe that God can raise the dead?” He said, “Yes, sir.” Then I texted, “Then he has the power to change the NCAA’s mind. Never forget that you need God. Start praying.”
If we are going to see the lost trust and follow our God who raises the dead, we must be serious about praying Jesus-sized prayers. One dangerous prayer to pray is, “God, use me to reach one this year.” I promise that He will answer that prayer and give you an opportunity to tell someone about Jesus. Pray that the Lord of the harvest would send missionaries into our communities by breaking the church’s heart for the lost. Our desire is to enlist 10,000 prayer warriors in the state committed to praying for missionaries to be sent to their communities and to become an answer to their own prayer. If you would like to enlist, email mistibailey@scbaptist.org.
By the way, God changed the NCAA’s mind. They made him a “Partial Qualifier,” which put him back on the team and actually gives him another year of eligibility. God’s agenda is always better.
– Clamp is evangelism group director for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Follow Lee on twitter @leeclamp or on his blog at www.leeclamp.com.