PSALM 116:1-2

SUNDAY & MONDAY, JULY 29 & 30, 2007

IS GOD YOUR HERO?

1 I love the LORD, because He has heard My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. Psalm 116:1-2 (NKJV)

Have you ever thought of God as being your HERO? I don’t believe that I had ever thought about God as a HERO until I considered this verse for today's Devotional.

What is a HERO? In today's world a HERO is one who in our mind, never makes a mistake, never does anything wrong, and always does what we want him to do. The comic book HEROES seem to fit in here because we know that everything will turn out okay.

Then there are the real life HEROES. They might be people who have done a single HEROIC act. They might be HEROES because of their accomplishments. These HEROES never do anything wrong as far as their followers are concerned. You see, their followers are blinded and cannot see anything wrong, even if it is proven.

Sometimes HEROES fall into disgrace. Maybe two of the best known were great athletes, Pete Rose and O. J. Simpson. It does not make any difference if they were guilty or not, they have fallen in the public opinion eyes.

So how does God fit in with these HEROES?

He is not a comic book HERO. He is real. Nobody writes a script for Him to follow and He has never made a mistake.

He is not a real life HERO who has done a single HEROIC act or achieved HEROIC accomplishments. God does not seek accolades, He does not speak abut HEROIC acts but of acts of humbleness such as the crucifixion.

He is not a HERO who will fall from grace even though people might try to make Him fall. They were gathered outside when Pilate said, who shall I set free, and the people shouted Barabas, Barabas. Pilate then said what shall do with him. And the people shouted Crucify Him, Crucify Him A fall from Grace? No. It wasn’t long before the Alleluias began and have continued to even today.

The Psalmist summed it up. He said that God paid attention to him, that God listened to Him, that God heard his prayer. Nothing fancy, no big parade, just a humble person thanking God, loving God because he knows God cares. What more could we want in a HERO?

WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, help us to be heroes to others simply by loving them, listening to them and leading them to you. AMEN

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

Some people go through life attempting to gain hero status. Do what you can with the gifts and talents that God has given to you; then get out of the way so that people can see past you to the HERO you have chosen to serve.