The Underdog Wins Again!

It was not supposed to happen! The New England Patriots were on an amazing streak, 18-0. All of the stats and the hype were heavily on the side of the Patriots. The New York Giants were a lowly wild card entry without a prayer of a chance. Their quarterback, Eli Manning, was streaky at best.

Glenda and I tend to always cheer for the underdog. There is something about a team coming though in the big moment, when the pressure is on, when no one believes they can do it! We had stocked up on snacks and settled in our little trailer on the farm to strain at the little nine-inch TV. We munched and cheered and hung on to the hope that the Giants would pull off the upset. The Patriots’ final touchdown with only 2 minutes and 42 seconds left in the game deflated our hopes. Brady had come through once again.

The moment of the game came when Eli Manning seemed trapped in the backfield; it appeared inevitable that he would go down in a sack and with it all hope. Somehow he escaped wheeling to his left, lofted a pass to David Tyree, who in a superhuman effort, outfights Rodney Harrison to make a 32- yard pass. They are already calling this moment “The Great Escape.” It takes its place with “The Holy Roller,” “The Immaculate Reception” and “The Catch.”

As the final pass of the drive floated into the end zone to be hauled in by Plaxico Burress, joy, excitement, and exhilaration came spontaneous. The underdogs had done it again! WOW! I nearly bumped my head on the low ceiling of the Prowler trailer in expressing my joy. Of course, the little negative voice whispered, “It’s only a game”. SO WHAT! It was a moment of great joy.

It reminded me of the host of stories in the Bible about underdogs, people who were powerless, insignificant, but key characters in moments of great victory. I think of Gideon who defeated the vast armies of the Midianities. He went into battle with an improbable army of only 300 equipped with trumpets and torches hidden in clay pots. As they came to the edge of the camp, they shouted, “For the Lord and Gideon.” There was such confusion that the enemy turned on each other and many were slaughtered. The underdog wins!

We often find ourselves in the role as underdogs in so many of life’s circumstances –
unemployed, underemployed, unsolvable relational problems, financial burdens crushing us, ongoing medical issues, problems with children, depression, or overwhelming anxiety, just to name a few. The good news is that being an underdog does not dictate failure. Underdog + God = success. In Matthew 19:26 Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." That is the formula. Without God, failure, with God, success.

When you face the impossible, when there are giants in the land, when no one sees you coming through, TRUST God.