I tuned in to watch Monday Night Football shortly after the Cincinnati Bengals had scored a touchdown on their opening drive. Attempting to multitask, I had the game on my phone to watch and computer in my lap to work, all while simultaneously providing verbal assistance to my wife by barking at my children to listen to their mother and take their showers.
Then it happened.
A seemingly routine tackle led to one of the most extraordinary and frightening events I've ever watched happen in real time. After making a play near midfield, Bills safety Damar Hamlin stood up, momentarily stumbled, then lost consciousness and fell backwards. With millions of other Americans, I watched as the officials immediately suspended play, and called for the training staff to attend to an injured player. Over the course of the next 30-50 minutes, and what had to seem like an eternity to the broadcasters, players, and coaches who were so directly impacted, paramedics had to revive Hamlin twice on the field with oxygen, CPR, and an AED machine.
As I write this, the prognosis for Hamlin is not fully known, though thankfully, he is still alive and his family has affirmed that he is "fighting."
What stood out to me as I watched the nightmare unfold while praying silently for the young 24-year-old athlete, was how instinctive and natural the impulse towards prayer was for so many others. The professional announcing crew from ESPN, struggling to fill time, and not knowing what to say, repeatedly urged a watching nation to pray. The studio crew that shouldered some of the broadcast duties during that time did the same. Players from both teams were visibly shaken until their coaches pulled them together to pray on the field. Social media immediately lit up with tweets, retweets, posts, and petitions to pray for Damar.
For as much as atheists and activists pretend that "prayers up" is a meaningless platitude spoken by people unserious about consequential circumstances, Monday night revealed once again that there is a common frailty, a mortal vulnerability in humanity, that instinctively cries out to his Maker in times of desperation. The need is always there, but it evinces itself in irrepressible ways when our own arrogance is no longer capable of maintaining the lie that we control our own fates and destinies.
That was the palpable feeling I witnessed Monday night. One that left me wondering and asking why we've adopted a public environment where it is acceptable – even laudable – to call for prayer, but improper and out of place to actually do it. I don't mean to suggest that Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, or Booger McFarland and Adam Schefter, weren't praying in their heads and hearts as they navigated the ordeal behind their microphones. I'm sure they were. But why not lead a prayer?
No, they're not preachers, but the throne of the Almighty is not unapproachable to those lacking a Masters of Divinity or seminary degree – Jesus made sure of that on Calvary. And to be clear, my question isn't limited to just this incident. Looking back, why wouldn't Tom Brokaw or Peter Jennings offer a vocal prayer as thousands of tons of steel collapsed on live television in September 2001? Why couldn't Walter Cronkite have lifted a prayer for the country in the traumatic moments following the Kennedy assassination?
Some might say it would look too awkward, come across as contrived or performative. I don't think so. And thanks to one ESPN analyst, I can prove it. Former NFL back-up quarterback-turned-commentator Dan Orlovsky finally did what nearly all of his colleagues were encouraging others to do.
He prayed for Damar Hamlin. Live. On television. Head bowed. Eyes closed. And watching it, with cohost Marcus Spears affirming it was the right thing to do, and lead anchor Laura Rutledge bowed with them both, it was as moving as you might imagine:
Orlovsky: "God we come to you in these moments that we don't understand, that are hard, because we believe that You're God and coming to You and praying to You has impact. We're sad, we're angry, we want answers, but some things are unanswerable. We just want to pray, truly come to You and pray for strength for Damar, for healing for Damar, for comfort for Damar. Be with his family to give them peace. If we didn't believe that prayer worked, we wouldn't ask this of You, God. I believe in prayer, we believe in prayer, and we lift up Damar Hamlin's name in Your name, Amen."
Spears: "Amen."
Rutledge: "Amen."
And might I add my own, "Amen."
The Apostle Peter encouraged believers to "cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." He does. He cares for Damar Hamlin and every single person affected by this difficult moment. What a blessing to see Orlovsky and the ESPN team willing to lay that burden at the feet of the Almighty. In this and all things, may God be glorified.
