It Isn’t Over Until God Says It’s Over - Peter

Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists.

Acts 12:7

Some observers called it a historic collapse. Others saw it as a historic comeback. With just seventeen games left in the 2007 Major League Baseball season, the Philadelphia Phillies trailed the New York Mets by seven games in the National League East Division standings.

Yet the Phillies eventually won the division.

No team had overcome such a large lead so late in the season, but the Phillies overtook their rivals on the last day of the regular season and headed into the play-offs. As the great Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees once said, “It ain’t over till it’s over!”

The apostle Peter could say a hearty amen to that statement. The time came when, humanly speaking, it seemed that his life had come to an abrupt end. Herod wanted Peter dead and had already murdered other believers. As Peter sat in a jail cell awaiting a rigged trial that would be followed by a quick execution, he must have wondered how many hours he had left.

God had another plan.

On the night before Peter’s trial, an angel appeared in his prison cell, awakened him, released him from his chains, and led him past sixteen armed but unseeing guards to freedom.

At first, even Peter couldn’t fully grasp what had happened. As he came out of his stupor, he realized that his “dream” was real: God had set him free!

Peter’s experience shows that none of the enemy’s chains are strong enough to hold down a man whom God has called to complete a specific purpose and mission. It’s true: The man of God is immortal until God chooses to take him home.

Are you facing what seems like an impossible situation, whether at home, at work, in your marriage, or somewhere else? If so, remember that it’s not over until God says it’s over. He will never abandon you, but he will enable you to complete whatever he has planned for you.