ANGELS IN THE RED ZONE

     Here I go again with a miracle testimony that is, again, difficult for me to believe, and I saw it develop with my own eyes.  It is about sports, which I had somehow previously determined that God did not really care who wins a game since he is no respecter of people.  He doesn't cheer for any team to win except in battles against the devil and then he always cheers for His children to win.  But in sport games, I was, and still am, convinced that He does not care who wins any sports game.
    So I have some theories about why he helped a certain team win in a nationally televised game.  I think that more insight will come to you as I write the scenario of how the thrilling game ended.  It was a game against two very well matched teams, one which had, unfortunately, had a stroke of bad luck two days before the game.
    The game was between the Oregon Ducks and the TCU Horned Frogs.  It took place at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.  It doesn't matter which team was favored because in this college sports battle it involved special help from heaven.
     My sister and her family were at the game because they have special interest in TCU, hoping that their grandchildren will some day attend the college. That will be a few years in the future, but the game took place not too far from where they live so all the people in her family who lived close by attended.  I had no knowledge that they were in the stadium because I had been on the West Coast at the time and was not apprised of their plans to attend the game.
    Speaking of the West Coast, two days before the Alamo Bowl game, I was sitting in a classy breakfast restaurant in San  Diego with one of my grandsons and one of my sons.  It was early in the morning because my plane left early in the morning headed for Phoenix and then on to Tulsa.  We had already ordered very creative and delicious breakfast meals when my grandson looked at his smart phone and announced to us that a young man whose name was Trevone Boykin, the quarterback for TCU, had been arrested at a bar fight in the early morning hours and taken to jail.  He reported that the quarterback of the TCU team had also assaulted a police officer and was still in jail.  Of course we came to the conclusion that Boykin would not play in the bowl game. 
     Sure enough it was all over the papers the next two days.  Soon it was announced that he certainly would not play. That was a pitiful situation because he had previously been considered for the Heisman trophy..  News analysts began to draw and quarter him, questioning his morality and his intelligence and any other area they could use to fill their air time on the TV airways.  I began to have compassion for the young man, knowing that everybody makes mistakes and he was unfortunate enough to be in the eye of the public so he was fair game for judgment and condemnation for doing such a stupid act in sneaking out after curfew and going to a bar a couple of nights before the big game. 
     Compassion and sympathy for the young man grew heavier and heavier in my emotions so I began to silently pray for the young man whose life was ruined, as was proclaimed by the sports analysts.  I began to feel the load that the young man was carrying, knowing that not only was his football team disappointed in him, but also his family, the entire college and his coaches.  It wasn't only limited to the named college but also the entire football sports world was  crucifying him in their minds and verbally for making such an unwise decision which not only cost him his football career but also might cost his team winning their bowl game. He was a lamb for the slaughter.  I truly felt his emotional pain.
     When game time came, I watched sporadically and found that TCU was losing big time.  They could not get anything to work for them.  At half time they were losing 31 to 0.  As I said, I did not know at that time that my sister and her family were at the game, but I had a very strong urge to text her and inquire if any of them were in attendance.  Sure enough I received back a text that told me that seven members of their family were there and that it was a sad, sad affair because their team was so far behind.  Since it is very unusual for a team to be 31 points behind to come ahead and win, something dramatic had to happen to help them.
      My sister reiterated how sad it was.  I began to think more and more about Trevone Boykin, the suspended quarterback who was not playing and leading his team to victory, which he had done in most of the games.  He had had the attention of the sports media all year and was hailed as one of the best players in the college football world at the time.   With his team losing by that huge a margin, my compassion for Boykin reached 100 on the leader board of my emotional activity.  If the team lost by a huge margin without scoring a point, the crucifixion of him in the media and in the minds of the fans would be unmerciful.  I could feel his apprehension at thinking about what he faced in the media and from people in the future.  That unwise act would follow him all of his life.
     After the halftime was over and the teams took their positions, the announcers of the game commented that the Oregon Ducks didn't seem to come out of the dressing room with the same gusto that they had in the first half.  A gift of faith  began to rise in me, with the thought that with some spiritual help maybe the TCU team would be able to at least make a good showing, although it would take a while to make up the 31 points that were on the scoreboard for the Ducks.  I texted my sister and said, "The game is not over yet." 
      She texted, "We're hanging in here; in the stands, I mean,"
      I texted, "Praying for a miracle." 
      She texted back, "Me, too." 
      I must confess that my concern was not for the TCU team itself. It was for the suspended quarterback, Trevone Boykin.  I knew the outcome of the game had a dramatic influence on the rest of his life. 
      As we prayed, suddenly, within just a few minutes, the TCU team had scored 17 points.  It was as if their opponents could not do anything right and everything the TCU team did was right and when they did they put points on the board. 
      I texted, "Where two agree, 17 points show up on the board."
     She texted, "Amen."
     I began to think about the movie, "Angels in the Outfield."  I began to pray for there to be angels in the red zone helping TCU score more and more points. When they did, my sister texted back, "A miracle happened again," as the team scored again and again.  As the 4th quarter ended, the teams were tied.  It had certainly been a miracle to behold.
     I texted back, "I knew it would.  Prayer works when two are in agreement." I was in agreement that they would win for Trevone Boykin's sake and she was in agreement that they would win for the team's sake.  The objects of the win didn't matter, the fact is that we were in agreement for God to do a miracle for the TCU team and He did. 
     There were angels on the 50 yard line, the 40 yard line, the 30 yard line, the 20 yard line, the 10 yard line and in the red zone helping the TCU team win in three overtimes. 
     TCU ended up winning the game 45 to 41.  They overcame a 31 point deficit.
     I know that God's heart was also aching, like mine was,  for Trevone Boykin, the young man who had made such a life changing mistake.  I knew that God wanted to add energy and momentum to his team so that they would be determined to win.  Their substitute quarterback was the hero of the game.  He had supernatural ability and it was apparent that something happened to him in the second half that was not apparent in the first half. He seemed to be empowered.
      Was God on the side of TCU?  I think He was, but only because of His compassion and love for Trevone Boykin.  He wanted the team to win to take the pressure off of the suspended quarterback.  I know that Trevone was praying to God to rescue him from the effects of his mistake and God did.  He had apologized immediately to the team, the fans and the university, so we know that he was contrite.  God merely used two ladies to agree with his prayers and prove that where two or three agree a thing is established.  We had faith in God's miracles and because of the multiplied faith a miracle happened.
      It was the best game of all of the bowl games, as declared by the sports analysts.  The TCU team got the attention and the acclaim instead of the media continuing to crucify a young man who merely made a mistake in his choices. 
      Who hasn't make a mistake in their decision making?  I have.  You have.  Everyone has.  Our mistakes were just not visible to the entire sports world.
      I know that Trevone Boykin is grateful to God, just like we are.  His failure is no longer news.  The team's victory is news.  That's the way it should be.  That's the way God planned it.  He always produces good news.