It appeared the Arizona Cardinals were done yesterday. After trailing the Buffalo Bills by two scores early in the third quarter, they rallied to score 17 points in the final 6 minutes of the quarter to grab the lead. They protected that lead until Josh Allen hit Stefon Diggs in the endzone for the go ahead score with a mere 34 seconds remaining in the game. Surely, their fate would be the same as USC’s in 2006 when Vince Young scampered into the Rose Bowl end zone to give Texas the lead and the national championship with seconds remaining (Sorry. I have to mention that championship since Murray chose both Texas A&M and Oklahoma over Texas).
With 11 seconds left, Arizona managed to advance the ball to Buffalo’s 43-yard line but the game appeared over. Then, Murray takes the snap, eludes a defender running free, sprints to his left, suddenly spins 180 degrees to his right, plants his feet, and lets the ball fly to the end zone. There is DeAndre Hopkins but he is surrounded by three Bills defenders. The ball sails into the crowd of players and Hopkins reaches up and pulls down an improbable touchdown with 2 seconds remaining. The Cardinals win! The outcome of that game changed improbably in the blink of an eye. They had won on another one of those passes reminiscent of Roger Staubach’s Hail Mary heave to Drew Pearson in the Dallas Cowboys’ 1975 NFC Divisional Round game against the Vikings.
Life is much more challenging than football and far more generally hangs in the balance. And this year has likely made us feel as though the clock is running out on our possibilities for the future. But be assured today. Jesus tells us that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. The game is far from over. The improbable can, and will, come to pass and we can place our faith in that.
This does not mean if we pray hard enough and believe hard enough that we will get what we want. Nor does it mean we will never suffer harm if we just believe. After all, if that was the case, Jesus must not have had enough faith.
What it does mean is that God’s love cannot be stopped, no matter what challenges or evils, seek to stop it. God’s will for this world will come about on earth as it is in heaven. God’s future will come to pass. That which assaults the earth and its people today will fade into memory. We can throw up our prayer and know it will be received by God. Love will win.
Grace and peace,
Rev. J.D. Allen
Senior Pastor
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