The Greater Glory Because of Impossible Odds
28-3. If you are an NFL fan, you might know the reference. If you are a New England Patriots fan, you definitely know. If you hate the Patriots, I apologize for the analogy.
In Super Bowl LI, the Patriots were dominated by the Atlanta Falcons for most of the game. With 8:31 left in the third quarter, the Falcons had taken a 28-3 lead. It was all but certain that they would be champions. No one had ever overcome a deficit that large in Super Bowl history. The Falcons owner came down to the sideline to celebrate with his team.
Despite what seemed to be an insurmountable lead, one Falcons player was captured on the sidelines tempering a teammate’s confidence by saying, “It’s Tom Brady, though.” He knew that a different perspective is needed when Tom Brady is in the game. And he was right. Brady led his team to score 31 unanswered points and the Patriots ended up winning 34-28 in overtime.
In life, we sometimes find ourselves in “28-3” circumstances. Impossible odds. Devastating defeats. Shattered expectations. No earthly reason for hope. But Yahweh himself has said, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14). A different perspective is needed when Yahweh is in the game. As Pastor Ben powerfully preached on Sunday, God’s perspective changes everything!
As earth-shattering as it is when we find ourselves in a real-life 28-3 situation, something as trivial as a football game can help us see an important truth: the more it looks like all hope is lost, the greater the glory when it is overcome. Many would count Super Bowl LI as the greatest in Tom Brady’s career and perhaps the greatest Super Bowl of all time. That is precisely because of the seemingly impossible odds that were overcome. Some of the most beloved stories in the Bible are found in the book of Daniel, and it is for that same reason! It is precisely because of the seemingly impossible odds of the fiery furnace and the lion’s den that these stories scream the loudest of the greatness of our God. What if God is calling us to be steadfast in our trials that he might also use us to show his greatness?
We are not promised that we will be shielded from suffering, pain, and loss. Neither are we promised that every painful path will lead to victory in this life. However, we are promised that all evil will be undone and all that has been lost in this broken world will be redeemed to the glory of God and for the good of his people. For all who are in Christ, in each and every trying circumstance we can be confident that there will come a day when the glory of what God has done with it will overshadow the pain we felt in walking through it.
The opening verses of Daniel reveal this perspective in the face of Babylon’s defeat and exile of Judah. Daniel did not know all of what would come, but he knew it was in God’s hands. This gave him an unshakeable foundation that empowered him to remain faithful to his God despite circumstances that others would have seen as an indication that his God had failed him. God has not and will not fail his people. No matter our circumstances, let us take up God’s perspective and walk with confidence knowing that every detail of our lives is in his hands. In all things God is weaving together a greater story of glory that we will one day see and celebrate when we are with him in eternity.
~ Andy Barker grew up in Boston, Ma. and relocated to Charlotte in 2008. He currently serves as an elder at LIFE Fellowship. He and his wife Melanie have five children and have attended LIFE Fellowship for ten years.