Hero

I remember some heroes from when I was a kid. I remember that my Dad and my Pappy were among my heroes. I also looked up to our preacher. I also thought that some of the movie stars were cool heroes as well. One of my all-time favorite tv shows was Hogan’s Heroes. (I still enjoy watching it!)

I learned later that my heroes were human and frail. My heroes made mistakes and even died. I learned to be more selective when choosing a hero. The Lord became my hero as I grew to know Him well. There was nothing that He couldn’t do. He had power beyond measuring.

I can identify with Gideon. He seems like a normal guy minding his own business when the Lord appeared to him and set his path on a heroic journey. Check this out…

¹² The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

¹³ “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

¹⁴ Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

¹⁵ “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

¹⁶ The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.” (Judges 6:12-16 NLT)

This regular guy was about to become a hero because of the Lord’s Presence in him. He was about to impress people who were not normally impressed with Him.  My favorite line is that he (Gideon) will defeat the enemy as if he’s one guy!

I reflected on what I believe about the Lord’s Presence in me. Do I live like He is living in me and through me – because that is what He does with me when I’m totally surrendered to Him. He wants me to grow in my trust of Him even when I can see Him or “feel” His Presence. I have learned over the years that He has never left and has never “forgot” about me.

I have learned to lean into Him and on Him when I don’t understand what is happening in my life and my world. I have learned that I don’t have to have all the answers before putting my faith in Him. In fact, I rarely have the answers, prior to needing Him.  Gideon had no idea how his life was about to change, but he simply trusted the Lord and held on for the ride.

The Lord is my hero, and if I’m anyone’s hero, it’s because of Him living in me and through me. I just want to be obedient to His call upon my life and live the way He’s calling me to live. He gets any credit due if I’ve ever helped anyone do anything. I am a loser without Him. But with Him in me, I can take on anyone, anywhere!

Pressing On!

Dwayne