Devotional on comeback: October 23

Daily Devotional: Thursday, October 23 – The Greatest Comeback

By Sports Spectrum Oct 23, 2025

St. Louis Cardinals teammates celebrate David Freese's walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” — Hebrews 6:19a

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As a St. Louis Cardinals fan, I have one sports moment that stands above all the rest: Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. If you watched it, you remember. Twice, the Cardinals were down to their final strike with the Texas Rangers on the brink of celebrating their first championship.

But then David Freese stepped up. He hit a game-tying triple in the ninth, and a couple innings later, he launched a walk-off home run that sent Busch Stadium into absolute chaos. The Cardinals went on to win Game 7 and the Series, but really, it was Game 6 that often remains top of mind when fans remember that World Series run.

I still think about the swing of emotions. One minute it felt like defeat was certain, the next there was life again, and then came the ultimate victory. I have never again experienced that type of euphoria as a sports fan as when that ball landed on the centerfield berm.

That game reminds me a lot of the Gospel. There are times in life when it feels like we’re down to our last strike. We’ve run out of strength, the odds are stacked against us, and hope is fading fast. That’s the reality of life apart from Christ — sin and death had us beaten. But the story wasn’t over. Jesus stepped in. The cross looked like the final out, but the resurrection turned it into God’s walk-off victory over sin and death.

That’s why I love that game — and that postseason run — so much. The Cardinals were 12.5 games out of a postseason spot in August, then stormed through the remainder of the schedule and clinched a wild-card spot on the final day of the season.

Then, in Game 6, Freese gave Cardinals fans hope when it felt like all hope was gone. But his clutch performance illustrates something even greater: The hope of Jesus is a hope that never fades. Baseball seasons come and go, players rise and fall, but the victory Christ secured is final and eternal.

So if you feel like you’re in the proverbial bottom of the ninth right now with the chips stacked against you, remember that the story isn’t finished. Our God is the God of comebacks. He takes our weakest moments — the times we’re sure it’s over — and He brings redemption. If He could turn the cross into resurrection, He can breathe life and hope into whatever you’re facing today.

— Cole Claybourn

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Daily Devotional: Tuesday, November 11 – Delayed Thanks

By Sports Spectrum Nov 11, 2025

(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

“… God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” — Hebrews 12:10b-11

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I was sitting at my computer, totally engulfed in the work of the day — completing tasks, making phone calls, writing letters, checking on people. Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a text from a former player. She simply wrote to say “thank you” … but for what?

She had joined the Army, made it through basic training, and had just been assigned a great position at her base. She ended her note with, “Thank you. I didn’t understand what you were doing then, but I do now. Grateful for you. Love you.” I leaned back in my chair, deeply moved.

As her coach, we wrestled through hard lessons: learning accountability, maturing in leadership, facing consequences, and becoming the best version of herself. None of it was easy — for either of us. But it mattered. It stuck. And now, years later, she saw it.

It made me think — God does the same with us. He coaches us, challenges us, disciplines us — not to harm us, but to grow us. Hebrews 12:7-11 reminds us: “Endure hardship as discipline. … God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

It is not always clear in the moment, but God’s discipline is a gift. He’s shaping us with purpose. So today, don’t forget to tell your Heavenly Coach, “Thank You. I get it now.”

— Fleceia Comeaux, Houston Dash chaplain

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Daily Devotional: Monday, November 10 – Meeting With God

By Sports Spectrum Nov 10, 2025

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen walks to the field before training camp, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” — 2 Peter 3:18

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NFL players have a busy schedule during the season. They practice several times a week, study the playbook, attend team meetings, lift weights, make media appearances, do charity work, and study film to scout opponents and see how they may improve individually. Professional athletes may also be expected to keep an active social media presence and be accessible to fans.

It’s not easy for active athletes to find time for family, friends and faith, but many experience regret later in their lives if they don’t take time for personal renewal and growth. Many young men see their lives spin out of control, then wake up one day and wonder what happened.

In the Bible, Moses was calm in many high-pressure, public settings, and stood strong as an outstanding leader for the Israelites for 40 years. As most of the Israelites panicked, insulted Moses and doubted God, Moses kept his cool and helped his countrymen settle down at the edge of the deep Red Sea even though Pharoah and his army were breathing down their neck. “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still'” (Exodus 14:13-14).

It’s helpful to look at the background of Moses and see how God met with him one on one at the burning bush. Before God spoke directly with him, Moses knew what his parents had told him about the Lord, and he knew God worked wonders in the past with his ancestors, but something changed when Moses heard God’s voice and watched Him do mighty miracles in front of him. “Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God” (Exodus 3:6). Suddenly, Moses believed God could do the same for him and his generation that he did in years past.

Just as God met privately with Abraham before He worked in and through his life, God would also produce great works and deeds through Moses. On several occasions, Moses went up on the mountain to meet with God alone — and that was one of main reasons he did well in a crowd.

We need to make our personal relationship with God more important than our public performances.

When we travel life’s road, we may face many temptations and difficulties that hinder our progress, so it’s a necessity to keep on spending regular time alone with God to be filled with wisdom and to be refreshed. Burnout is a real problem and the devil is always trying to pull God’s servants into sin.

Like Moses, if we want to please the Lord and be a good example for others, we need to keep on meeting with and growing in Christ daily. As Peter reminds us, we shouldn’t be satisfied with our current state, but always growing. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:18). Then Paul echoed his thoughts by encouraging us to study the Bible for a lifetime because God uses it to grow us throughout our lives: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia

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Daily Devotional: Friday, November 7 – Taking Stock

By Sports Spectrum Nov 7, 2025

Boston Red Sox Manager Alex Cora, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow, President & CEO Sam Kennedy, from left, listen to reporters' questions, Oct. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” — Ephesians 4:22-24

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For Major League Baseball teams, this time of year is critical. Assuming a team didn’t make it to the playoffs, it’s a period of stepping back and evaluating the most recent season, deciding if it’s best to continue with the plan, people and structure in place, or if it’s necessary to make a change. Over the next several weeks, sports headlines, tweets, podcasts and reports will be filled with discussion over the hiring or firing of managers, the trading of players, the signing of other players, and the raw yet real truth of what went right or wrong in certain organizations during the year. One could argue it’s a messy, uncertain time, to say the least.

In the simplest of terms, this offseason period is, for multiple teams, a house cleaning. Front office staff and owners talk through what no longer serves their objectives and what transitions or adaptations must be made in order to go into the next season with some positive momentum. All options are on the table. Nobody’s job is safe, really.

It’s a tense time for most involved. But those in the team’s leadership understand that it’s a part of the business. You must reassess every year what needs to remain or go in order to move the organization’s goals forward, particularly if the team has been struggling or is trying to rebuild.

Yet, it’s also important to understand that this evaluative process must also happen at the individual level for you and me. Especially if we consider ourselves to be a Christian, this process actually must happen on an almost daily basis if we are to properly grow and mature into the person God envisions for us to become. Just like with athletic teams, it can be very easy to get comfortable in the way things have been done, to start settling for what is familiar and routine instead of being willing to shake things up a bit or even start over.

Most of us often forget that the journey of walking with Jesus isn’t just about forgiveness of sin or eternal assurance; it’s about transformation — an invitation into a whole new way of life that will undo everything we’ve ever known and move us into something better than we could ever dream.

Ephesians 4 speaks of the necessary process we all must undergo if we are to change into who God wants us to be. There is a taking stock of what no longer serves us — a setting aside of the old ways, the old self, the old desires — and adopting new attitudes, new perspectives, a new self that is reflective of the character and heart of Jesus.

As with anything, this process will involve some pain, sacrifice and surrender. There will be tearing down in order to build back up. What no longer serves you may require you to let go of or walk away from something meaningful. But the end result is that when you keep saying “yes” to God and letting Him transform your life by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2), what remains is something of far greater worth than whatever was stripped away.

What no longer serves you?

— Katherine Singer

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Daily Devotional: Thursday, November 6 – The End Of Yourself

By Sports Spectrum Nov 6, 2025

(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” — Romans 8:28

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I was sitting in the locker room in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after my fifth bad outing in a row. My ERA had skyrocketed. The season felt lost. And I had no answers. No strength left to give. Physically, I was drained. Emotionally, I was crushed — it felt like my dream was slipping through my fingers. And spiritually, I was as dry as the Albuquerque air.

As an athlete, I believed it was on me to figure it out. It was my job, my livelihood, my identity. I told myself: It’s up to me — my strength, my power, my knowledge. But even as I whispered those words in my mind, I knew deep down I had reached the end of my rope. The lie kept playing on loop: I can fix this if I just try harder. I have what it takes. If I work more, show up earlier, stay later — I can turn it around.

That lie is familiar to a lot of us, isn’t it?

We may trust God in certain parts of life, but when it comes to our sport, we often take back control. We treat God like a cosmic tag-team partner — ready to step in only when we can’t handle things anymore. But that’s not how God works. He’s not waiting on the sideline for your signal. He is always present. The problem isn’t His absence; it’s our awareness.

At the time, it felt like failure. But now, I see something different. Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard says, “Life can only be lived in the moment, but it can only be understood backward.” It wasn’t until nearly a decade later that I truly saw what God had been doing.

In sport — and in faith — one of the hardest things to do is stop making excuses and face the truth about where you are. Not to shame yourself, but to invite growth. To ask: What might God be trying to show me through this?

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Notice, the author Paul doesn’t say all things are good. He doesn’t promise a smooth career or easy life. And he certainly doesn’t say we get to choose the timeline of that goodness. He says God is always working — for our good and His glory.

That means God works in your wins and your losses. In joy and pain. In promotions and demotions. He stands behind you not just to catch your fall, but to redeem your story. And here’s the paradox: Running out of yourself isn’t failure — it’s freedom. When you stop striving to prove you are enough, you can finally rest in the One who is enough.

So step out knowing God has gone before you, walks beside you, and stands behind you. You don’t compete alone, and you never have. Because when you feel like you’ve reached the end of yourself, that’s where you’ll find Him — and He is just getting started.

— Josh Lindblom, Pro Athletes Outreach

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