Do You Believe in Miracles?!

Posted On September 25, 2022

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:20 NIV

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV

I had a different blog post planned for this week, but then I went to the homecoming football game at my high school alma mater, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to write about what happened. Talk about wonders! I am not much of a sports fan, but this was an object lesson about faith that could not be ignored. I hope you are inspired by it as much as I was…

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

James 4:10 NIV

The tone was set even before the game began when our home team, the Bobcats, having just run onto the field amid cheers and shouts, dropped to their knees in the opposite end zone — and prayed. One by one they knelt down and bowed their heads. I saw a few of the players make the Sign of the Cross by touching their foreheads, chests, and shoulders. And then one by one they stood and took their place at the sideline, ready to begin the game. Even if nothing else exciting or dramatic had happened that evening, this simple act of humility and reverence would have been enough to inspire those of us watching. But little did we know that there was much more to come.

The game, dominated by the offense on both teams, was a close one from start to finish. By halftime, the score was 28-35 in our favor. Near the end of the fourth quarter, the Bobcats led by 3 points, with a score of 54-57. With 1:27 left to go in the game, the opposing team had one more chance to score. We cheered hard for our defense, but unfortunately, it was not enough to hold the other team at bay. The opposition drove hard down the field, and our team seemed powerless to stop them. The picture below shows the exhausted defensive players lining up just before the opposing team scored their final touchdown, bringing the score to 61-57 in their favor.

“Faith is the key component to all possibility. Without it, we are lost!
It’s important to have faith in your dreams, but it’s even more important to have faith in God. With God’s help, amazing things can happen. . . . When it’s your turn to achieve your dreams, He will be with you the whole way, and nothing will be able to stop you.”

Karen Moore

When we took back possession of the ball, the scoreboard displayed the dismal news: We were now 4 points behind, so a field goal would not be enough. We needed a touchdown to win, and there were only 19 seconds left on the clock. At this point, most of us watching resigned ourselves to the fact that the game was over. We had lost. I remember thinking that it would take a miracle to win at this point. People had started to leave the stadium. My parents, who were home watching the live stream of the game, turned it off, assuming it was basically over.

I say “most of us” spectators believed this. But not all. There was a young boy sitting in front of us who had not given up hope. “Come on, Bobcats!” he cheered. “You can do it! You only need a touchdown to win.” Only a touchdown, huh? Those of us around him smiled a little sadly at his enthusiasm. We all seemed to be thinking the same thing: Ah, the faith of the young… if only he knew this was not going to end well.

The Bobcat players didn’t give in to hopelessness either. The kickoff returner made a good run, getting the ball to the Bobcats’ 44-yard line. Now there were only 10 seconds left. The team huddled with the coaches, discussing strategy, but it was taking too long. I heard a man behind me yell, “Come on, you’ve only got 6 seconds left!” He was watching the play clock nervously. Unfortunately, his warning did no good. The play clock ran out. Delay of game. This was a 5-yard penalty. Ugh!

The Bobcats lined up, the center snapped the ball, and the quarterback dropped back to pass. The receiver caught the ball 15 yards downfield, but soon got into trouble. About to be tackled, he pitched the ball back to another player, who was able to gain an additional 6 yards. A valiant effort, but not enough. We still had 40 yards to go and now only 3 seconds remained. There was only enough time left for one final play. Here is what happened…

“Next time you’re disappointed, don’t panic.
Don’t give up. . . . let God remind you he’s still in control.
It ain’t over till it’s over.”

Max Lucado

This week’s Scripture passages remind us that God is a God of miracles. Without faith, it is impossible to please Him, and anything is possible if a person believes. Jesus said that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we should humble ourselves and become like little children (Matthew 18:3-4). On homecoming night, I saw a team of teenage boys kneel and pray. I saw a little boy demonstrate amazing faith in the face of overwhelming odds. And I saw all of these kids hold on to hope and persevere until the very end.

They believed in miracles, and they got one! May we all learn from their example.

“You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.”

Psalm 77:14 NIV

References:

• “Game-winning Hail Mary play by San Angelo Central to beat Abilene Wylie-Tyler Hill to Ben Imler.” YouTube, uploaded by Concho Sports Network, 23 September 2022, https://youtu.be/Mh-fpLNVIFI.
• Lucado, Max. Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. J. Countryman, 2000.
• Moore, Karen. It’s Still Possible: 100 Reminders That God Can Do All Things. Thomas Nelson, 2020.

Images:

• Football featured image by Dave Adamson on Unsplash
• Referee image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay
• All other images taken from “LIVE – San Angelo Central Bobcats vs. Abilene Wylie Bulldogs | 9/23/22.” YouTube, uploaded by Concho Sports Network, 23 September 2022, https://youtu.be/dbLrcChUBmQ.