We’ve all seen CJ Stroud celebrate his faith in God and Jesus Christ in post-match interviews after a win, and it’s become an integral part of what he stands for – being grateful for his blessings. But Saturday was different.

Saturday was not a blessing. It was a day full of defeat and pain and, yes, perhaps even fear that the worst had happened.

Stroud’s answer to pain is prayer

That’s what happened when Stroud saw his teammate and best friend Tank Dell lying on the ground after catching a touchdown pass against the Kansas City Chiefs. He doubled over in pain, clutching his left knee, which seemed to be dislocated in the place God intended.

So what was Stroud’s answer? When God’s blessing wasn’t there at all?

“All you can do is really pray,” Stroud said after thinking about it for a while. “At the end of the day, God still deserves the glory. No matter what happens to me, I know I’m up here by the grace of Jesus, the grace of who he is in my life, in Tank’s life.”

“For everything, whether left or right, above or below, I must always praise my Lord and Savior. That’s not easy. After that, I try to use it as motivation. It’s not easy to let it go. This is my best friend. “It’s not easy to keep going and keep playing, but I tried to do it as well as I could.

“My teammates stopped me. Joe Mixon, Dalton Schultz stopped me. I appreciate these guys just talking to me. I went through that and I appreciate them just being there for me.”

Finding Jesus in difficult times

The snaps of Stroud struggling to control his emotions were all over the NBC broadcast. He was visibly distressed and appeared to be on the verge of tears. He watched and then buried his head on his teammates’ shoulders.

And he prayed. What did the Houston Texans quarterback pray for in those difficult moments?

“Just Jesus, I find him in this moment,” Stroud said. “It’s not easy. I just prayed for peace over Tank’s head, be it mental or physical. We serve a wondrous God. I believe in healing and pray that the Lord can heal him. This is something that will be another surprise the way for Tank.

“It’s a shame to say this, but at the end of the day this isn’t the end for Tank, it’s just the beginning. We know that God didn’t necessarily do that. It’s football. At the same time, it is in the Word.” says that God will never fail us or forsake Tank or anyone who gets hurt on this field or struggles with anything tragic in life.

“Once you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, He will never leave you or forsake you. He will show you his peace, he will give you his love and mercy. I pray this tank.” We will find Him in it. This is ultimately our foundation. That’s not easy to say.

Stroud knows there are doubters

Stroud knows what some people who hear his words might think.

They might challenge him about his trust in God. They might even mock him for having the unmitigated audacity to believe that God even exists.

Stroud loves those who doubt.

“There are people in the world who may not believe this or understand this, but I pray that one day they can,” he said. “Tank didn’t do anything wrong. There is something God is realigning to get him back on his feet and seeing Jesus again. This is what I pray for Tank now in the name of Jesus.”

“I’m torn, but at the same time I have to be strong for him.”

That’s what the world doesn’t understand. It is asked, where was your God or your Jesus when Dell’s knee was injured? Or when that innocent child was shot in a passing car? Or when that young person was struck by cancer?

Some of these people even blame a god they don’t believe exists for the curse that has come upon the earth.

What they don’t understand is that God didn’t cause these problems. God is love.

God can do evil for your good

It is actually the plan and mission of evil itself to steal, kill and destroy. This is the one or the one who causes all the terrible and painful things on earth. At least that’s what the Bible says.

Stroud believes this. He believes that God can use what the enemy intended to harm Dell and turn it around to his advantage.

And Stroud is not alone. The fact is that there are many Christians in the NFL who share this faith.

One of them is Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. So Mahomes found Stroud in the midst of his ordeal and let him know that he would also pray for Dell.

“It shows his heart and the man of God that he is,” Stroud said of his fellow quarterback. “I also pray for him and his family. That’s very nice of him. It shows the heart he has.”

“Patrick had a lot of nice things to say and that he would pray for Tank. I want someone to go that way so they understand. Nobody wants anyone to get hurt. It was beautiful for them to say their prayers and see their hearts like that.