I recall sitting in my college dorm watching the World Series in 1986. The Red Sox were leading the series 3-2. It was the bottom of the 10th inning in Game 6, and the Sox were ahead. A few more minutes, and the Sox would – finally, for the first time since 1918 – win the World Series again. But that didn’t happen. A player fumbled a ground ball, and the New York Mets went on to win the game and the Series.
The recent New Orleans Saints – Minnesota Vikings championship game had 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Saints were up by one point after coming back from trailing 17-0. Amazingly, the Vikings got the ball and ran 61 yards for a touchdown, winning the game.
In 2008, runner Heather Dorniden was pulling into the lead with just 200 meters to go in a short 600-meter race, when she fell. The three runners who had been near her pulled far ahead. Rather than give up, Heather got up, started sprinting, and overtook all three, winning the race.
Each of these scenarios looked like they were going to end very differently, and each illustrate a point: it’s not over until it’s over.
Is there someone you have been praying about for years, maybe even decades? As long as they are still here, there’s still hope. In fact, Jesus told his listeners the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18: 1-8), “that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”
It’s not over until it’s over. May we remember those words when we get discouraged, and may we continue to approach the throne of God with hope in our hearts.
