The whole family was in Mom’s room. Even though there was a bigger TV in the sitting room, we all just wanted to be where we felt the warmth of her love and company. It was a special night for football lovers, and my dad had ensured my brother and I were among. The occasion was the Champions’ League Final, between AC Milan and Liverpool FC, and mehn, Istanbul 2005 was a match ‘like no other’. At half time, the Reds (LFC) were already three goals down. I had only recently begun to take interest in the team, primarily because of her energetic captain- Steven Gerrard. I watched in disbelief as I saw ‘my team’ being torn apart; and it was only just the first half. I thought from then on, it would be a case of damage limitation.

The mobile phone rang in the room, taking our attention temporarily away from the spectacle on screen; it was a call on my dad’s Motorola and he had to leave the room to ‘search for network’. It was then half-time break, and just before various adverts flooded the TV, we heard a chorus of voices around the stadium, singing in harmony. Most of the words were not distinct but I still heard some: …the storm…hold your head up high…end of a storm…golden sky…; then the adverts rolled in. I didn’t know what the song was all about, but it no doubt had something to do with what followed.

The second half began, and my dad was still on the call. Soon after the restart, a miracle began to happen: from a cross, Gerrard nodded past one the best goalkeepers at that time, Dida, to make it 3-1. Gerrard ran back to the halfway line, urging his teammates on: “Let’s have a go; let’s just try and give it our best shot”. Within six dramatic minutes, Liverpool was level, I mean, the Reds had equalised! My dad came back in and could not believe it. Hope was revived, belief was reinstated. The game ended that way, and had to go to penalties, which Liverpool won. It was a truly amazing day. From then on, I began to believe that almost anything was possible.

Years later, when I gave my life to Christ, I got to know that there was a bigger truth. The Bible says: “…with God, all things are possible” (Matt 19:26) and “…all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). These made me see that what happened in Istanbul, Turkey that night is nothing compared to what we have in Christ. The support of their fans, the first goal LFC scored, and the motivation of their captain might have inspired them that night and given them self-belief, but it was God that gave the grace for things to end up in their favour. If we believe IN GOD, then ALL things are possible to us.

Don’t doubt God. Believe Him and take the step of faith. If you believe God for the rain, take an umbrella with you always. If you’re trusting God for a harvest, plough the ground and sow the seed. God is there with you. With Him, the word impossible disappears from your vocabulary, and is replaced by HIMpossible. Put your trust in God, He’ll never fail you. And…

…You’ll Never Walk Alone.