Who needs a super hero when He is there?

Look in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane…

Many of us are looking for a  super hero to save us from the stress, pressure and misfortunes of life and the destruction that the enemy brings to our life. There’s a human longing for real heroes we can look up to and who can bring real justice to this troubled world. Everybody’s searching for a hero; people need someone to look up to. In essence, people are looking for a savior of sorts. A super hero is always the one who “saves the day”. He is the one who fights evil and he wins every time. A super hero puts his life before others and somehow never dies… in most “movies” at least. He is the defender of all that is good! He is the first one on the scene! He brings a peace like no on else!

Longing for a superhero is nothing new Greek mythology was just such a systemized belief system in which the characters were reverenced yet given human frailties and desires. The apostle Paul took note of the reverence these “super humans” received in Acts 17:16-21. And Superheroes are more popular than ever before.  Everyone is looking for a hero who will swoop down and save the day when life gets hard.  Someone who will right the wrongs of the world and protect the underdog. We all want a protector who will rescue us and help us to feel safe.

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We look for heroes in our imagination, in our relationships or even in celebrities. But I think many of us overlook that fact that Our Father, God wants to be all of those things and more to us. In Psalm 146:1 David talks about what God is to him and to all believers. "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

And His son Jesus is surely more than a superhero. He breaks the mold of a superhero. He doesn’t merely do things better than Superman. Jesus comes to save and redeem eternally. He doesn’t pull someone from a burning building, but rather takes someone who is dead in sin and gives them eternal life (Ephesians 2:5). This is the work, not of a superhero, but of a redeemer and savior. This is the work of the ultimate hero.

The past six years have been the most difficult years of my life. I have had so many disappointments, trials and situations that I thought I was going to loose my life. And I surely needed a superhero, and I can say my Father was more than a super hero, He has always been a ever present help in the time of my trouble.  He has always been there when I needed Him. He has protected me from the storms that seek to sweep me away, delivered me from the hands of my enemies that wanted to destroy me and than He bestowed me with His power and authority to overcome them. He gives me strength when I feel I can’t go on. And the beautiful part is that I know I can't lose because He always there. Why? Because He is my Jehovah Shammah.

This name, or title of God is like all of the other names of God; it is given so that we might come to know God better. He reveals a key aspects of His character to us through the use of this name. This comes from Ezekiel 48:35, "It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there." This is the only “literal” occurrence of this name in scripture, though the concept is throughout various verses. While this application was to be given to a city, God is teaching us all the time that He is with us no matter what.  God is omnipresent.  It is one of those concepts that people tend to hurry past this without really absorbing what is being taught.  He is everywhere, all the time, all at once.

So no matter what we are going through, The "LORD is There" with us. Going through hard times? The LORD is there.  Is there a storm raging outside?  The LORD is there.  Scared and alone? The LORD is There. Going through good times? The LORD is There.  Facing a mountain that seems impossible to climb?  We are never alone in the endeavor; The LORD is There.  Surrounded by people that do not care for us, or people abusing us in some manner, either physically, emotionally, or mentally?  The LORD is There…

This should not only  bring us great comfort, but also great peace that He will be there when we need Him to save the day in distress. I want you to really understand, The LORD is with us all the time, and He sees and knows every action and every human heart.  So He is able to swoop in, right on time and turn a situation around because He is the Lord of justice and of mercy.

From this day forward, keep reminding yourself that The LORD is with you. Our God is already in our tomorrow. He already knows what our future looks like and He has complete control over it. We are told in Jeremiah 29:11 that Jehovah-Shammah says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”. THE LORD IS THERE!!  The more you remind yourself of that, the more you’ll take it to heart, the more you’ll let that fact bring you more understanding of God, and bring you into a closer walk with Him.  We don't have to worry or fear when we know that He’s not just with us in the rough times, but in the good. He is in our past, our present and our future because He is more than a super hero, but our Jehovah-Shammah.

The Lord is There!
~Yolanda D.

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