When people turn to prayer

When I take funeral services of people who were born in the first half of the 20th century, I sometimes point out that during their lifetime they have witnessed remarkable developments, and have experienced changes in society which would probably never have been even dreamed of when they were young. There's no doubt that humans have made enormous strides forward in terms of scientific and technological developments and understanding. Many of these developments are very positive and a blessing to society. Yet we can fall into the trap of believing that we really are masters of our own destiny, and are heading towards a human-inspired utopia. Until, that is, something happens to shake our self-confidence.

Last Saturday, 23-year-old English Premier League footballer Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch during a game. He had suffered a cardiac arrest in a match between his club, Bolton Wanderers, and Tottenham Hotspur. Medics came onto the field to try to revive him, while fans and players looked on in shock. Muamba was taken to the Heart Attack Centre at The London Chest Hospital, where he is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

My thoughts and prayers have been with the player and his family. As I have been following the news reports about the player, there has been a fascinating common thread - the call to prayer! Clubmate Stuart Holden wrote, "Waiting anxiously for updates from teammates. Fab is a fighter! pray for Muamba." Tottenham's Rafael van der Vaart wrote: "Terrible what happened with Muamba during the game. We're all praying for him." Bolton manager Owen Coyle said, "Everybody is praying for Fabrice which is very important and that has been a real source of strength to the family." Then yesterday, Muamba's former teammate Gary Cahill, after scoring a goal for his current team, Chelsea, lifted his shirt to reveal a message on his t-shirt, "Pray 4 Muamba".

Shocking though the events of Saturday were, it has been a reminder to us that ultimately we can't manage on our own - we need God in our lives. Fabrice Muamba's fiancée, Shauna, tweeted, "Please keep praying ... It's really helping, I can feel it", and also, "God is in control". If only we could all learn that lesson!