Prayer For Competition

Dear God, we thank you for allowing us to gather here before you in this competition not as enemies but as friends.

May you grant each and every competitor

An understanding mind that this competition is among friends.

May it foster love and camaraderie amongst all present here today.

May your loving heart fill each of us so that

We could realize that it is not winning that truly counts

But the honest and noble way we get there.

May you bless the organizers, judges, athletes and everyone

For their cooperation and unity in making

this momentous occasion a remarkable experience of your love and generosity.

Bless the winners that they may be humble in their victory

And realize that they would not have succeeded without you.

Bless also the losers that they may be gracious in their loss

And realize that as long as they have done their best, it is also a victory for them.

All these we ask in your mighty name, amen.

Dear Lord, as we gather before you to participate in this academic contest, make us aware that we do this competition not for our own glory but to glorify your name.

Grant your wisdom that the contestants will value more the camaraderie and cooperation that would happen today more that the glory of winning.

Allow the losers to learn that they are already winners because of their willingness to share their talents. Let the winners learn that they succeeded because of your blessing and guiding presence.

Bestow your generosity and love to all of us present today and bless also those who are left at home. Whatever we accomplish in this competition, we offer all of these to you.

Let this competition serve as a way to praise your name and spread your good news. This we ask through Christ, our Lord, Amen.

Lord, I call upon you to say to my daughter “pick yourself up and run with the wind, faster than you have ever before”.

Guide her and give her the strength and courage to compete in the forthcoming cross country and athletic competitions this year and in the coming year's.

She is in need of your help to get her through these hard times of physical and mental restraint. Help her to see the way clearly and guide her to her goal.

I praise to you Lord almighty to help my daughter overcome fear of her physical problems and give her the strength that she once had to guide her and to empower her in her chosen sport. Show her the way to give also strength of those girls around her so that she to can help them to achieve their goals.

Run with her today ….. run with her to finish in the top 6 of the Regional cross country.

Loving Father, we deeply gratify You for Your divine presence from the distant past, to the exact present, and in the near future. We thank You for the multitude of blessings You have bestowed upon us in the form of our families and friends, our abilities and talents, and even the most uncanny circumstances. We humbly gratify You for guiding us in our efforts to showcase the mathematical prowess You have entrusted with us, in every attempt to help others treasure and hone their own skills and talents, and in every move to inch our way up to the highest level of competitions such as these.

We ask You now, dear God, to equip us with all the things necessary to make us conduct this event truly in Your honor. Grant us the patience and the determination to face each question and challenges in life, as well as the ones in this competition. Help us internalize the values of humility and sportsmanship, and grant us the humility or courage to accept whatever result awaits us.

Heavenly Father, we also would like to ask forgiveness for all the sins we have committed in our pursuit of success, as well as in our daily lives. We humbly bow down to You as we seek forgiveness for our sins: when we were tempted to cheat, to let laziness overcome our zeal, to doubt others and ourselves, and to doubt even You, dear God, among all other wrongs we have committed. And as we ask for Your forgiveness, please help us to be reminded that we, too, should forgive as You have done.

In the days beyond this one, please guide us with Your everlasting and unfailing love so that we may continue to live and touch others with what good we have within, so that we may leave our mistakes in the past, and so that we may be better children of Yours. Guide us graciously so we may understand that in the end, real triumph is achieved when we do our best in honor of You, almighty Father, and not when we claim the trophy for ourselves after wee have done others wrong.

All these we ask in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Let love fill my lungs as I breathe for this race,
Let joy fill the sails of my heart.
Let faith be the wind that I feel on my face,
Let peace be my shield at the start.

Let hope flood my mind and grace give me strength,
Let me run in the land of my dreams.
Let praise be the sound that fills up my soul,
Let me be all of this now for You.