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Religous: Recognizing God’s heroes
Pastor Don Porter
for South Peace News
As we will be celebrating Remembrance Day shortly, my thoughts are drawn to the men and women who have and continue to put their lives on the line so we can enjoy our freedom.
They made a sacrifice so we can enjoy living in a country that gives us the freedom to gather together, speak freely, elect our governments and live our lives as we see fit within the laws of the land. These people, including my own father, are my heroes.
In many ways, we have lost the meaning of the word “hero.” We throw it around so casually. If you can put a ball through a hoop, you are a sports hero. If you can play eight chords on a guitar, you are a rock’ n roll hero. If you can pretend to be something you really are not, you are a Hollywood hero. We have a strange concept as to who our heroes really are.
I remember watching a well-known journalist interview an actor about his recent movie, which featured a politically troubled region of the world. When the journalist asked the celebrity what he thought should be done about the political situation there, the actor responded, “Who cares what I think?” and went on to point out he was just an actor.
All too often, we mistakenly think actors really are the people they portray. We think they are heroes when, in fact, they are just people like you and me.
A hero is someone who does something sacrificial, something courageous. There are heroes today, of course. We saw many of them in action on 9-11 and in the days that followed.
But often, today’s heroes are operating behind the scenes, and we never know about them.
God tells us about his heroes in 1 Corinthians 1:26–27: “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”
I find it easier to define what God defines as a hero by looking in the Bible. One of God’s heroes was Gideon. Judges 6 tells us the story of such a hero. Now when God came to Gideon, Gideon was not famous. God in fact found him hiding in a wine press where he was grinding his wheat so his enemies would not come and steal his grain.
When God called Gideon to lead an army to save his people, Gideon did not take on a John Wayne swagger but instead he replied, “How can I rescue Israel, my clan is the weakest in the whole tribe and I am the least of my entire family.”
God told Gideon to go in the strength he had for God would be with him. Did this convince Gideon to go? No, instead he put forth fleeces not to determine if he had heard God right but to see if he couldn’t get out of God’s assignment.
When God asked Gideon to raise up an army, Gideon went overboard and raised up every man who would follow him.
But God had other ideas. God wanted the army to be men who would follow Him rather than a man. Finally, God reduced Gideon’s army to a small group who would follow God’s plan to overtake the enemy.
Then God disclosed His plan to Gideon. Gideon and his army would not have to fight the enemy but instead they were called to shed God’s light into the darkness. When the enemy saw the light they fled. By following God’s directions God got the credit for the victory.
Another of God’s unsung heroes is Caleb. Caleb was one of the spies Moses sent into the Promised Land who came back and said in effect, if God is with us we can overtake the enemy and occupy the land. God allowed Caleb to enter into the Promised Land. Caleb then fought with Joshua to defeat the enemy.
When the Israelites had taken their land Caleb asked Joshua to allow him to fight and take his land. In his own words, he said, “I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then.”
What makes that statement so significant is that Caleb was 85 years old when he said it! Caleb wholly followed the Lord. If we want spiritual longevity, we must do the same, but this means giving 100 per cent to God.
Often, when our lives are in trouble, we expect God to drop everything, run to us and take care of our problems. Then when it comes to us doing our part for Him, it is amazing how busy we can be.
“My schedule is so full,” many of us say.
If your heart is right with God, it will be shown in the way you spend your time. It will be shown in the way you live your life. If you are wholly following the Lord as Caleb did, then you will want to give God your best, not your leftovers. That was the secret to Caleb’s spiritual longevity.
As we look at heroes of the faith, those in Scripture and in contemporary history whom God put His hand on, one thing stands out. It seems God has always gone out of His way to find individuals who did not necessarily look like heroes.
And that is precisely the point. God isn’t looking for a strong man or woman per se. Rather, He’s looking for someone whom He can be strong on behalf of.
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