Was The Damar Hamlin Prayer Event An Act Of God?

Matthew 6:7-8, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”

Luke 16:27-31, “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

Acts 10:1-2, “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,: A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.”

These three Scripture passages teach us some vital truths. I think most Americans have heard about the sudden cardiac arrest of Damar Hamlin on January 2, 2023, which happened during a football game when he was tackled. Hamlin almost died from the incident. Thankfully, he is still alive and doing well, expected to make a full recovery. Fans and teammates did the only thing they could do to help. They prayed. This prayer event has sparked a lot of sensation in the newsmedia, causing some believers to ask if this was an act of God. I humbly think not, and I'll explain my reasons why.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:7-8 not to be like THE HEATHENS when they pray. The first time I read that it struck me. I was amazed to learn that the Bible openly acknowledges that unsaved people pray. These people are headed for the Lake of Fire, Hell. Yet they pray to God in their ignorance, deceived by the Devil. Matthew 6:7-8, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”

Although I think it is great that the masses began to pray for Damar Hamlin, no doubt most of them are hellbound without Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. So why would God initiate a prayer event that won't get anybody saved? Praying never saved anybody. My father used to say that religion is the worst thing that ever happened to this world. Dad was right! Jesus is my Savior, not my religion!

Interesting, in the book of Acts we read about a man named Cornelius, who worked as a centurion (a commander over 100 soldiers) of the Italian army. Cornelius was a good man who gave alms to the poor, he fasted and HE PRAYED. Unfortunately, he was NOT saved. Acts 10:1-2, “There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,: A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.” If you read further into Acts chapter 10, you will learn that Cornelius didn't get saved until Acts 10:44, when he believed the Gospel and was indwelt with the Holy Spirit. 

The great heart of God does not desire for lost sinners to pray, but to repent (change their mind) to believe the Gospel. 2nd Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” God desires for all humanity to be saved! The Lord doesn't want anyone to go to Hell, but only we can make that decision. 2nd Timothy 2:13, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” If you are damned, it will be your own damn fault!

We read in Luke 16 about a man who was very wealthy. The rich man foolishly thought that he had no need for God. Sadly, he died without Christ and realized immediately that he had made a profound mistake. Luke 16:27-31, “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” Even in Hell, being tormented in flames of fire, this formerly rich man who is now utterly poor, cared about his 5 living brothers. Despite his pleas, Abraham tells the man that it is too late for him, and if his 5 living brothers won't heed the Scriptures, they are doomed!

Dear reader, you are still alive. It is not too late for you; but the time will come when it will be too late, and you won't have a second chance to get saved. Was the Damar Hamlin prayer event an act of God? No, I think not. Why would God nearly kill a man just to raise interest in prayer, something that even heathens do? God is interested in getting people saved, something that requires preaching the Gospel. The world has always been religious, but the Bible warns that only few people get to Heaven. Luke 13:23-34, “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” The Lord's clear answer to the disciple's question is that few people go to Heaven. I think we would be shocked if we knew the ratio of people that pray, compared to how many of those praying people are going to Heaven. I dare say that only 1 in 100 praying people are saved.

Having said all that, I am fully confident that many of those people praying for Damar Hamlin are born-again Christians. Sadly, according to the Bible most are not. If you go read Matthew 7:13-15, you will see in this passage that few people find the strait gate to Heaven. Matthew 7:15 tells us why, because of FALSE PROPHETS who deceive them with a false plan of salvation (e.g., Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, Rick Warren, Steve Pettit, Marty Herron, Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, et cetera). Never forget, the Devil is a beautiful liar!

Fox News ran this article saying that Damar Hamlin brought prayer and faith back to the NFL. What saith the Scripture? James 2:19, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Faith in God never saved anybody! You must receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. 1st John 5:12, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” You can pray, do good deeds and have all the faith you want in God, like Cornelius did before he got saved, but you will split Hell wide open unless you've been born-again through faith in Jesus Christ!

Jesus died on a cross to pay our debt of sin. He was buried. Three days later Jesus bodily resurrected miraculously from the dead. This is 'THE GOSPEL' according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. The Gospel is three things: Christ's crucifixtion, burial and resurrection. Of all the religious tracts I've read, and of all the sermons that I've heard, very few preachers do a good job of explaining the Gospel. Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) does A GREAT JOB!!!

I am glad that Damar is okay, but I humbly do not think any of this was an act of God. Prayer is nothing new to the heathen world. They need to be born-again to enter into God's Kingdom. John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Unsaved Muslims lay prostrate upon their faces, praying for hours upon hours. Jesus told us this is what the heathen do, thinking they will be heard by God for their much speaking. That is, for their sacrificial WORKS. That is not faith.

There is such a thing in the Christian life as importunity in prayer (Luke 18:1-8), where we prayer at length and fast, to obtain an answer to prayer. The difference is that unsaved people think God will hear them for their much speaking (WORKS); whereas as God's redeemed children we think God will hear us because of FAITH by His grace. James 5:15: “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” God honors faith, but that faith must be rooted in Jesus, the Christ, the only begotten Son of God. John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

Concerning Damar Hamlin, we've heard a bunch of talk in the media about prayer and faith, but I haven't heard the name of Jesus mentioned even once. On the Day of Pentecost the Apostle Peter preached THE GOSPEL and 3,000 souls were saved (Acts 2:41). As far as I know, nobody was saved as a result of Damar Hamlin's prayer event. That is how I know that it wasn't an act of God. When the Spirit of God moved on the Day of Pentecost, people got saved. Proverbs 11:30, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.”

Many People Have Churchianity Without Christianity.