Day 25: It's Not Over Til it's Over (Mark 5:21-24, 35-43)
Devotional: It’s not over until it’s over. Those who know football will know Frank Reich as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. But back in 1993, he was the backup quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, playing behind Hall-of-Famer Jim Kelly. But with Kelly injured, on January 3rd, Reich would go down as the star of one of the most talked about games in NFL playoff history.
The Bills were down in the 3rd quarter to the Houston Oilers 35-3. An all but impossible score differential to overcome. But, it’s not over until it’s over. Frank Reich would lead the Bills back from a 32-point deficit to win in overtime, 41-38, which to this day stands as the greatest comeback in NFL history.
What’s interesting is that historic comebacks weren’t new to Reich. While serving as a college senior for the Maryland Terrapins, he came in for benched quarterback Stan Gelbaugh, down 31-0 to the Miami Hurricanes, and lead them to a 42-40 victory. At the time, it was the record for the greatest comeback in college football history. It’s not over until it’s over.
A cool part of the story of the Buffalo Bill’s comeback is what Frank shared at the post-game press conference. He shared about a Christian song he had listened to that was the source of his inspiration. His sister had called earlier in the week and told him to listen to the song. It was the song “In Christ Alone”. He said he listened to it all week before the big playoff game. He would go on to quote a portion of the words of the song as millions watched on their television.
These are the words he quoted, “In Christ alone will I glory, though I could pride myself in battles won, for I have been blessed beyond measure, and by his strength alone I overcome”. Frank Reich lived his life as an overcomer. He would go on after his retirement, before returning to football as a coach, to pastor a church and to even serve as president of a seminary. Frank Reich was a man who was, and is the real deal. He lives for the glory of God and finds his strength in Christ, and Christ alone.
It’s not over until it’s over. Jairus had an adolescent daughter who was on the verge of death, but he refused to believe it was over. But by the time Jesus got to the girl, she had died. But with Jesus… it’s not over until it’s over. When told the child had died, Jesus said, “The child is not dead but sleeping” (v. 39). Despite the ridicule of others, Jesus responded to the faith of the father and rose the girl from the dead.
Jesus would go on to make the greatest comeback in all of history. He came back from crucifixion on the cross, to defeat sin, Satan and death. The strength each of us need to overcome the situations that seem impossible in our lives, can only be found in Christ, and Christ alone. Will you choose to have faith today? Because with Jesus… it’s not over until it’s over.
Prayer: Write 35-3 on a piece of paper. Keep it with you all week. Take time to pull out the card and pray over the situations that seem to be impossible to overcome. With Christ, all things are possible!
Devotional: It’s not over until it’s over. Those who know football will know Frank Reich as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. But back in 1993, he was the backup quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, playing behind Hall-of-Famer Jim Kelly. But with Kelly injured, on January 3rd, Reich would go down as the star of one of the most talked about games in NFL playoff history.
The Bills were down in the 3rd quarter to the Houston Oilers 35-3. An all but impossible score differential to overcome. But, it’s not over until it’s over. Frank Reich would lead the Bills back from a 32-point deficit to win in overtime, 41-38, which to this day stands as the greatest comeback in NFL history.
What’s interesting is that historic comebacks weren’t new to Reich. While serving as a college senior for the Maryland Terrapins, he came in for benched quarterback Stan Gelbaugh, down 31-0 to the Miami Hurricanes, and lead them to a 42-40 victory. At the time, it was the record for the greatest comeback in college football history. It’s not over until it’s over.
A cool part of the story of the Buffalo Bill’s comeback is what Frank shared at the post-game press conference. He shared about a Christian song he had listened to that was the source of his inspiration. His sister had called earlier in the week and told him to listen to the song. It was the song “In Christ Alone”. He said he listened to it all week before the big playoff game. He would go on to quote a portion of the words of the song as millions watched on their television.
These are the words he quoted, “In Christ alone will I glory, though I could pride myself in battles won, for I have been blessed beyond measure, and by his strength alone I overcome”. Frank Reich lived his life as an overcomer. He would go on after his retirement, before returning to football as a coach, to pastor a church and to even serve as president of a seminary. Frank Reich was a man who was, and is the real deal. He lives for the glory of God and finds his strength in Christ, and Christ alone.
It’s not over until it’s over. Jairus had an adolescent daughter who was on the verge of death, but he refused to believe it was over. But by the time Jesus got to the girl, she had died. But with Jesus… it’s not over until it’s over. When told the child had died, Jesus said, “The child is not dead but sleeping” (v. 39). Despite the ridicule of others, Jesus responded to the faith of the father and rose the girl from the dead.
Jesus would go on to make the greatest comeback in all of history. He came back from crucifixion on the cross, to defeat sin, Satan and death. The strength each of us need to overcome the situations that seem impossible in our lives, can only be found in Christ, and Christ alone. Will you choose to have faith today? Because with Jesus… it’s not over until it’s over.
Prayer: Write 35-3 on a piece of paper. Keep it with you all week. Take time to pull out the card and pray over the situations that seem to be impossible to overcome. With Christ, all things are possible!
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