“Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread the letters before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord.” (2 Kings 19:14-15) King Hezekiah began to reign over the kingdom of Judah at the age of 25; he began his reign around the year 700 BC. Hezekiah is held up as one of the most righteous kings before God, compared in esteem to King David for his accomplishments. The people under the rule of Hezekiah knew both good times and challenging times, even though their king was much beloved and did what was right in the sight of the Lord. (2 Kings 18:3)

Much has been made recently of another young man about the age of 25, Tim Tebow, and the electrifying victories he and his team, the Denver Broncos, have had in the past several weeks. The high point of the media frenzy came with the Broncos overtime victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first week of the NFL playoffs. Tebow has attracted attention for many reasons, but the public display of his Christian faith has probably been at the center of all the attention. Gone are his “black eye paint” biblical passages (against NFL rules), but his one-kneed bow to God has remained a steadfast symbol of his devotion. As the Broncos continued to win, sometimes inexplicably it seemed, the public chatter was that Tim’s “tebowing” gave him a direct line to God. Even Saturday Night Live needed to weigh in with a few jokes…when SNL pokes fun at you, it’s safe to say you have arrived…at least for 15 minutes. With no ill feelings toward Tim Tebow or the rest of his teammates, there is at least a small part of me that was glad that Tom Brady and his team set the record straight when it comes to God: pray to God for a relationship with God and to deepen your spiritual growth and awareness…not to win at life. And this is not to say that Tim Tebow prays to win; it is very likely he prays to talk to God…and so can you.

If the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl this year, never would the American public be more confused about God and prayer since, well, since ever probably. You can, and should, “tebow” pray every day in order to become closer to the spiritual and mystical realities of the power and love of God. Win, lose or draw in life; you will win every day that you pray.