A Roll Call of the Faithful and Courageous
January 05, 2023
Real Heroes are Overcomers!
Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash
"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. – (Hebrews 11:32-34, The Message, Copyright 2002, Eugene Peterson)
People who overcome great obstacles make great heroes.
We stand back observing their lives and find hope that we can also overcome.
People who seemingly live without problems offer us little encouragement. In our ignorance of their true struggles, we chalk up their successes to luck, privilege, or fate.
The heroes of faith were people who faced tragedy, distress, doubts, and even disaster. Staring death in the face, the heroes of Hebrew scripture harbored a hope that God’s anointed would some day rise on the scene of human history as the champion of all who would follow Him to victory.
That hope spurred them on. It gave them consolation in dark days. it infused them with courage in the presence of danger. It energized their lives.
Scriptures often use the language of battle to describe life's struggles.
For one thing, battles are common knowledge in the culture. Stories abound. The imagery is everywhere.
For another, as honorable as battles may seem in literature, most people understand the horrors of war. They know that most participants do not emerge unscathed.
Then, there is the test of battle. The culture understands that battle test everything in a person's strength, skill, character, and ability to withstand. therefore, life and faith are the greatest battles of all. Weaknesses are, in battle, turned to strengths and great obstacles are overcome.
What is your battle today?
Who are your heroes and how do their stories give you more faith and courage?
What did they have to overcome? What must you overcome?
What might be accomplished if you face your battle with faith?
And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets-- who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection.
Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.
They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented-- of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
There is One Hero greater than all!