“Does God really care about pro football?” Editor-in-Chief Edward Grinnan asked in his blog last week. He wrote about quarterback Tim Tebow, whose run of come-from-behind victories had even non-believers wondering if the Denver Broncos were getting a little help from the man upstairs.
I’m a New York Giants fan, so I didn’t get swept up in all the “Tebowmania” these past few weeks. But I did note on the Mysterious Ways Twitter page that in the Broncos’ upset win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wildcard round, Tebow finished with 316 yards … the same number as the Bible verse he memorably wrote on his eyeblack back in college:
One Guideposts reader, Janet Jenkins of Chiefland, Florida, was prompted this week to send in her own little Mysterious Ways involving the faithful quarterback…
“It was one of those days I had anxiously awaited all summer—September 5, 2009, the opening day of the Florida Gators college football season. My husband and I, however, were in Vermont performing volunteer construction work on a church. Fortunately, we had a satellite dish connected to our motor home. No way we’d miss Tim Tebow and the Gators.
“Just before game time, my husband turned our television on. We could get no picture. We flipped through the channels. Nothing.
“We decided to go for a quick walk and come back in time to hopefully see kickoff. As I often did while walking, I said a prayer. I’ve been so anxious to see Tim Tebow and the Gators play, I said to God. I reminded him of what a fine Christian young man, great witness and inspiration Tim is to both young and older folks. Tim inspires many of us to be better Christians.
“We finished our walk and returned to the RV. Suddenly, a picture came on the set. The Gators game, crystal clear.”
Janet and her husband loved every minute of it, a 62-3 victory for the Gators (Tebow threw for 188 yards and a TD before the backups came in).
But then …
“The next morning, when we turned on the TV, we had no reception again. For the rest of the week, we got no picture at all. It wasn’t until we moved the RV that we realized a tree was blocking the satellite dish.
There was no way any signal could have gotten through. Except, somehow, a TV signal from Tim Tebow and the Gators.”
Of course, God has bigger things to worry about than football games. But how many of us have experienced those little joyful, awe-inspiring and inexplicable moments in life that seem to be brought to us from nowhere? This story wouldn’t be the first time a television brought one of these moments; see “Channel 30” and “The Televised Message.”
Do you have a Mysterious Ways story to share? Send it to us at mw@guideposts.org.
