Day 11 of the Tokyo Olympics
Your daily Olympic devotional
A snippet from a new sports devotional, The Spirit of Victory. Available through your favourite bookstore.
Prayer Approach - Psalm 51
In 2004 Tyler Hamilton won a gold medal for the United States in the men’s individual time trial. Hamilton was a big name in cycling and competed in the Tour De France. Winning Olympic gold was the high point in Hamilton’s career but months later it would be followed by his lowest moment when he tested positive for blood doping.
Hamilton had been a drug cheat since 1997. He justified his actions based on his belief that almost everyone in cycling was also cheating. Hamilton was banned for 2 years but denied any wrongdoing. Upon his return to cycling Hamilton continued to cheat. In 2009 Hamilton tested positive for drugs and was banned for eight years.
The suspension ended his cycling career. In 2010 he confessed that he had taken performance enhancing drugs throughout his career. Hamilton said that when he confessed to cheating, a weight came off his shoulders.
In Psalm 51 David comes clean and asks God to cleanse him of his guilt. David is done with cover-ups and pretending. David has hit rock bottom and asks God for mercy. You too might wish to pray the words of Psalm 51 asking God to restore the joy of your salvation to you once again.
Towards the end of the Psalm, David says that God doesn't desire sacrifices but rather he desires a broken and contrite spirit. God doesn't want you to attempt to earn his favor through great deeds of sacrifice but rather through a humble and repentant heart.