Remember that song by Bonnie Tyler, "Holding Out for A Hero"? You know the one where she belts out the question, "Where have all the good men gone and where are all the gods?" She isn't the only one who is "holding out for a hero….."
The world is crying out for a hero, who meets the description in Tyler's song of being "Strong…..Fast…..and Fresh from the fight." And, of course, there is the major requirement for our heroes today; they have to be 'larger than life' beyond any realm of uncertainty and untimely reactions.
In Zechariah 10:7 (NASB), we can see a biblical reference to heroes of old. "Ephraim will be like a mighty man, And their heart will be glad as if from wine; Indeed, their children will see it and be glad, Their heart will rejoice in the LORD." The Young's Literal Translation has the first part as "And Ephraim hath been as a hero."
In Genesis 10:9, we have "He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD." Again, Young's has "mighty hunter" as "hero in the land" and the reference to Nimrod as "hero".
In Zechariah 9:13, "For I will bend Judah as My bow, I will fill the bow with Ephraim. And I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece; And I will make you like a warrior's sword." Young's shows the last part of the verse to be, "And I have set thee as the sword of a hero."
Jeremiah 50:9 of the Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB) version states, "For behold I raise up, and will bring against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the land of the north: and they shall be prepared against her, and from thence she shall be taken: their arrows, like those of a mighty man, a destroyer, shall not return in vain." Again, "like those of a mighty man," is referenced in Young's "as a skilful hero."
We see what the hero means in biblical terms; strong, skillful, and true. A hunter of exceptional strength and courage. And we can point to those in our society who meet those qualities.....
Most of us can point to the last time America saw its wealth of heroes displayed before the world stage, on 9-11. From the rescue workers that comprised Fire Fighters, Police, Transit Authority officers and common citizenry; our nation stood in painful awe as we watch them rush into the bulidings and work to bring those trapped out, and cried out in sorrowful loss when the Towers fell and took them from us. Or listen to the reports in the hours and days to come of those on the plane who declared, "Let's roll …" and gave their lives so others might be spared, namely our Nation's capital buliding and those who lead us.
Still others will point to those who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting for a people that the media would have us believe don't want us there. Who stand the watches, the lonely patrols, and the dangerous interaction with enemy forces and cherish that one child who smiles at the gift of candy, that one parents who thanks them for standing the gap. While their own countrymen say, "We support you," while voting to limit funds for equipment or giving the enemy the upper hand by declaring the soldiers overburden and incapable of victory and calling for a withdrawal.
All of these heroes, past and present, either in wartime or peacetime attacks are heroes true. They fought for the overburden, the oppressed, the starved, the battered, those in dangerous situations, and those in need of a hand. They are heroes. And, I am extremely grateful for them, who so valiantly and effortlessly put their own lives upon the line to rescue those who are in need of their heroic efforts.
A hero, who is strong, fast, timely, and fresh from the fight……that is what is needed in the churches of today to seek out the battlefield of the souls, where the Christian faith is rapidly losing ground by inactivity. Someone who will stand up, much like our heroes upon Flight 19, who said, "No more!" These spiritual heroes, who labor under the darkness and out of the limelight, are as vital as those heroes who gave their lives in those Twin Towers.
I am thankful this Thanksgiving Day for those who fight; whether it be overseas in a battle between democracy and dictatorship, at home in the political halls of power where abuse is rampant and heroes are few, to the darken streets of America's lost where they labor for the souls of those in desperate need of a Savior.
I raise my sword in salute, I bang my shield in declaration, and I bow my head in humble honorarium of those I have stood with wearing the uniform, or those I kneel with in grateful communication, and those who take the banner from the fallen and raise it high.
As for the gods that society gives for the succor of the lost, I cannot tell you where those creative, powerless, and unrealistic gods are but I can point you to the One who is Above All....who loves you, and wants you for His own. He is my Captain and my King, Lord and Savior...Jesus Christ.
May the Lord Bless you, May the Good Lord keep you and turn His face towards you. May the Lord keep you and bring you peace on this day of national Thanksgiving. And may the soul I touch today understand the eternal gift for tomorrow, so that they too may know the power of thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father.
Happy Thanksgiving all.
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