Super Bowl MVP: “God Showed Me We Would Win”
This past Sunday, 112.3 million people watched the L.A. Rams win the Super Bowl. It was the most watched television event in the last 5 years, mainly because it was such a close game. The Rams were down 20-16, and late in the fourth quarter they put together an amazing drive and scored the game winning touchdown with 1:25 left on the clock. I had no ties to either team, but it was so exciting that I was totally glued to the screen towards the end.
The man who caught the game winning touchdown pass was Cooper Kupp, who went on to win the MVP award. Cooper has been an inspiration to many people for years, because he has such an underdog story. Although he is now an NFL superstar, when Cooper finished high school, he wasn’t even offered a scholarship to play in college! Now, to go from not being good enough to get a college scholarship to winning Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP in the same season is quite a story, but… Cooper has another (and arguably even cooler) story that I wanted to highlight today. He shared it in a post-game interview.
Two years ago, the Rams played in the Super Bowl and lost to the New England Patriots. Although Cooper was unable to play in that game because he tore his ACL earlier in the season, he was on the sidelines with his teammates the entire time. According to Cooper, after the whistle blew, as the Patriots were celebrating and as the Rams were leaving the field, he saw a vivid “vision” that he believes was from God. In the vision, he saw the Rams returning to the Super Bowl, winning it, and him getting the MVP award. Basically, he saw everything that happened on Sunday, two years ago in a vision! Is that cool or what!?
Hear him tell the story by clicking here- Cooper Kupp Shares the Vision God Gave Him
So, I guess it brings up a good question- does God even care about football? Well, I think the answer could be yes, but…maybe not for the reasons we might think. I would say that if He does care about it, it is mainly because He knows He can somehow show His power and make Himself more known through the outcome, as was the case here.
Another neat example of this was the Tim Tebow “316 game.” That was the game he played against the Steelers in 2012 where he threw for 316 yards and had 31.6 yards per completion. Once commentators began pointing out these stats, it sparked a massive internet frenzy that led to tens of millions of people googling the Bible verse “John 3:16.” It is an amazing story that I think you’ll also enjoy.
Hear him tell it by clicking here- Tim Tebow Shares the Story of the 316 Game
Here is one last example that also has to do with a Super Bowl. In 2008 the New York Giants played against the New England Patriots. The Patriots were 18-0 coming into the game and they were heavily favored to win. In the final minutes of the game, a catch was made by receiver David Tyree, on his helmet, that shocked everyone. It was the turning point of the game, and pictures of it were everywhere the next day. David became an instant celebrity and an instant hero to many. The neat thing about his story was that David was at a prayer meeting the night before and someone heard from God that he would make a BIG play in the game. They even described how it would happen. The next day it all played out just as the person had prophesied. Amazing!
Hear David tell his story by clicking here (jump to around the 11-minute mark to hear the helmet catch story)- David Tyree Tells the Story of “The Helmet Catch”
I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I do. What it reminds me is that even though we aren’t NFL football players, if we do what these guys did, and are willing to let God use our lives to bring Him glory, there’s no telling what miracle stories we will get to tell someday too!
God bless you!
Chris