I have conversations with God.

All right, they are more like monologues.

Usually they occur when I am driving home from work early in the morning. There’s not a whole lot of traffic and it’s just me, Chef Chris and the Rumpshakers or the Muggs or whatever CD I happen to be listening to, and God.

I ask Him how He is doing. I fill him in on family matters. I tell Him to say hello to his Son. I make sure I let him know I am available if He needs help.

Often, I say I look forward to meeting Him. Not too soon, mind you. I am speaking future tense.

So I am a little taken aback by this ridicule toward Tim Tebow, the evangelical Denver Broncos quarterback.

The kid prays, so what? He believes in God, so what?

Still, I shook my head when I saw the results of a recent poll. According to a telephone survey conducted by the website Poll Position and written about by www.foxsportsflorida.com, 43.3 percent of people believe Tebow's accomplishments on the field can be attributed to divine intervention.

The poll surveyed 1,056 people, and of the 756 who said they were familiar with Tebow, roughly 327 of them said they believe God plays a role in the second-year NFL quarterback's success.

The poll also found that women were more likely than men to believe that God is a Broncos fan, with 46.4 percent of female respondents saying yes, as opposed to 40.6 percent of men.

When it comes to party affiliation, 54.2 percent of Republicans said they believe God plays a role in Tebow's success, as opposed to 38.2 percent of Democrats and 35.1 percent of independents.

And among ethnic groups, Latino respondents proved to be the biggest believers, with a whopping 81.3 percent saying they believe God helps Tebow and the Broncos succeed. 59.5 percent of black respondents and 38.3 percent of white respondents also said yes.

Now I am a person of faith. I go to church on Sundays. I sing the hymns and listen to the sermons and put whatever I can into the collection plate.

Toward the end of every Sunday service, there are more prayers. A large part of those are taken up by folks on the church’s prayer list.

The prayers typically are for those who are dealing with personal loss or travails. Those who are mourning the death of a loved one; those who are hospitalized; those who are battling cancer or other serious diseases; shut-ins and others in assisted living; those in the armed forces, etc., etc., etc.

Never once have I heard the name Tim Tebow. Or, for that matter, Nick Lidstrom, Matthew Stafford, Miguel Cabrera or Tayshaun Prince.

I guess we just figure that God has more important things to attend to than the Denver Broncos, the Red Wings, the Lions, Tigers and Pistons.

I do not imagine there was any divine presence when Tebow fired the pass to Demaryius Thomas that covered 80 yards and ended the first-round playoff game with an overtime win against the Steelers.

The God I’m talking to in my ’97 subcompact with the right windshield wiper that doesn’t operate and the driver’s side window that does not roll down and the Nike shoe box that serves as a glove box has more important things to do.

There are wars ravaging the Middle East. There is simmering hatred all over the world. There is starvation in Africa and unemployment in America. There are fractured economies in Europe and human rights abuses in large chunks of Asia.

There is homicide. There is suicide. There is depression. There is no shortage of misery for God to handle.

Then again, I do not blame Him if wants to take some time off and turn on the 65-inch Panasonic to take in some football.

He might even have tuned in when the Broncos visited Foxborough to take on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Who won that game? It certainly was not the Broncos. Either way, I could not imagine God putting any money down in Vegas on Denver.

Is that God Tebowing? That is what the poll seems to say.