It Ain’t Over!

I grew up hearing a lot of cliche’s, Old Wives Tales, Superstitions, and things that the “Hill People” (that’s people who live in the hills or mountains) live by. My grandpa was born in the “hills of Kentucky” and they had a lot of old sayings that, to them, were as true as true could be. Oh great, there was another one!

One of the most popular ones I’ve heard through the years is, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings!” Well, okay. Considering that my grandmother was…well…hefty. She never sang. Which in our family, nothing was ever OVER. But seriously, what does that even mean? It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.

From Wikipedia Amalie Materna as the valkyrieBrünnhilde (1876)

For what it’s worth, according to Wikipedia, the statement is a colloquialism (a word or phrase appropriate to conversations and other informal situations). It means that one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress. Whoa! In modern terms, don’t jump to conclusions! Hmm. It also goes on to say that this term is generally used to stereotype buxom or overweight sopranos of Grand Opera. For example, the “fat lady” is the Valkyrie Brunnhilde who sings an aria lasting twenty minutes, which leads up to the end of the opera, after one last line by another character and a smashing orchestral finale. So in essence, it is all over when the fat lady sings!

But what does that mean for us? What significance does that have for me and you? We often go through trials and times when we just wonder, “Is it over?” We get a bad report, we feel ill for long periods of time, we lose someone we love, we lose our job, our finances are in dire straits, on and on and on…and we think it’s all over. But it isn’t. And it had nothing to do with a fat lady singing! Why?

Because it’s not over until GOD says it’s over!

God has the first, middle, and FINAL say over our lives, over time, over our situations, over everything. And when HE says it’s over, then and only then is it over. No one can say or do otherwise. The fat lady can sing all she wants to, but it won’t be over until God says so.

… looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ~ Hebrews 12:2 (emphasis added)

I can’t reiterate that enough. I have watched many people just give up and mope and cry their lives away because of something that happens. Listen lovelies, the doctor does not have the final say-so. Your friends don’t have the final say-so. Your family doesn’t have the final say-so. Not even you have the final say-so! Only GOD does. And until we get that in our heads and our hearts, our lives will not change.

I’ve said it before, I spent too many years listening to what others said about me and to me. It was constantly spoken over me that I would grow up to be lazy and good for nothing. I was told that I would be fat, that I would ultimately have nerve problems, that I would have heart disease, kidney problems, and eventually cancer. What a lovely thing for a family to say and do to one of their own! Yet they did. But do you want to know a secret? God never said I would suffer ANY of those things! NEVER! And while I have had some issues through the years, it was because I didn’t know any better. 

The things I suffered in the forty-plus years before God healed me was due to the fact that no one ever, ever explained the promises of God to me. Only one person tried, and I always thought he was telling me just to cheer me up. Because he was my husband, I thought that it was his job to tell me pretty, flowery, sweet words to encourage me and make me feel better. Well, little did I know that this wise man, wise beyond his years, was one of the keys to my healing!

However, when God healed me, all those things holding me down were ripped away and suddenly I could see! Not only with my eyes, but my heart and soul. That’s when I realized that the fat lady could stop singing because she was only annoying me.

There are so many promises on your life right now. Do you realize that? Do you know that you are more than a conqueror? Do you know that you are chosen? Do you know that you do not have to live depressed, distracted, or even defeated? You, dear lovelies, are victorious! Because of what Jesus did on the cross, because He rose again, he defeated death, disease, depression, and every other thing that the enemy tries to plague you with. You are victorious! God’s Word says so! So start living that way!

Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ~James 4:7

Maybe you haven’t quite reached that point in your life. Maybe you’re saying, “That’s all well and good for you, Shelley, but you don’t know what I’m going through.” No, I don’t. But God does and He is bigger, more powerful than anything you have going on in your life, ever! You need to turn to Him and claim that victory! Claim that healing! Ask and you shall receive! Believe and receive! Don’t know how? Okay. I didn’t either. But I’m going to tell you how right now.

If you truly want healing for yourself or anyone else you know, you simply have to go to God and ASK. Think of a little child asking for something they want. They are very bold about it. They aren’t shy about it. They don’t even feel bad for asking. They walk right up to you and ask. That’s how God wants you to come to Him. Boldly. No fear. No doubt. Just walk right up to Him and say, “God, I have this ___________ in my life. I need deliverance. I need healing. Your Word says that by His stripes I am healed. Your Word says that whatever I ask for in prayer, believing, I receive. So right now God, I am asking. In the name of Jesus, I am declaring ________________________ over my life. Holy Spirit, come. Saturate me and my life. Walk and talk with me. I receive You. In the name of Jesus. Amen and Amen!”

It’s that simple. I don’t know what you’re going through. But God does. And He can fix it. You may see results soon, you may not. But whether you do or don’t it doesn’t mean God didn’t hear you. You just have to have faith in Him. Trust Him. Because when it’s all said and done, it ain’t over till God says it’s over.