The “Come-Back Kids”

Whenever someone snatches victory out of certain defeat In the American Culture, that person is hailed as “The Comeback Kid.” As I meditate on Hebrews 11, it certainly occurs to me that the famous Faith Hall of Fame was about a group of individuals who were the “Ultimate Comeback Kids!”

It all started with Abel who was not just defeated in the physical battle for supremacy, he was actually eliminated. He was killed, slaughtered, caused to cease existence before the end of his expected lifespan. Abel’s case was the ultimate “Cold case” (to borrow another term from the American popular culture), if God did not solve it, it could not have been solved. Abel however defined the operational parameter for every person of faith that will come afterwards; this parameter is well summarized in the words: “he being dead yet speaketh”

We must note that always, the strategy of God is “to be manifest in the midst of death…” It was so for Noah, who witnessed the annihilation of the Human Race by the Flood, it was so with Abraham who was “was as good as dead…;” it was true for Jacob, who was dying yet he blessed and worshiped; it was so for Joseph who was sold and presumed dead, and who demanded a prophetic commitment from Israel even as he died. Moses faced certain death as a child, was given a real sentence of death as a young adult; was challenged by the Angel of God himself and nearly died with Ziphora. One can only use the same words that the writer of Hebrew used “What more can we say…?” Joshua, Gideon, Barak Samson Jephtah, David…? All of them faced death and should have been annihilated; but in all of their lives, God seemed to declare: I AM THE GOD OF THE LIVING, NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD!

Many of us woke up this Sunday morning and are faced with challenges. Death seems so close; life seems to be ebbing away: except that we hope in the Lord, except that we believe that He is the God of the living, we are like those that are led and given over to death. God wants such people to be reminded today that HE GLORIES IN WINNING OVER DEATH. Dead situations, dead circumstances, dead relationships, dead hopes, dead expectations, dead dreams, dead desires…, dead faith, God is the God that rejoices in showing forth his Resurrection Power. Faith is the Power of Christ’s resurrection at play in the in the life of the faithful, faith is the opportunity of God to reveal himself as the God of the living, when death seems to be winning. The ultimate people of Faith are always given over to Death but somehow; by His Power; they stage a “Come Back” from defeat; they are the “Ultimate Come - Back Kids.”

Originally written for Victory Court RCCG on April 13th 2008