Superman, anyone?

Yesterday I wanted to be Superman! Just for a day or two I would enjoy having his unique qualities. Forget the flying. It would be fun, but basically useless. It’s the ability to work fast, to be unstoppable, and invincibility that appeals to me. There are a few challenges sitting on the periphery of my life which I’d like to wipe away with a single swing of super strength. Yes, I know, it’s just a story, but we all slip into daydreams occasionally. Since this Clark Kent isn’t going to be a super-hero, I chose another guy for inspiration today, Eleazar, son of Dodai. Never heard of him? He gets a couple of lines in the Bible that are memorable to me. In the book of 2 Samuel, there is a review of the ‘mighty men’ that stood with David, Israel’s warrior king. One of the men of renown is the aforesaid Eleazar. His big moment in life is included in the list. "Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines ‘till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword." (2 Samuel 23:9-10, NIV)

That’s quite a line, froze to the sword! The other soldiers retreated as the Philistines advanced, but Eleazar stood his ground, unwilling to give an inch, swinging his sword in deadly arcs that continued, over and over, until a pile of dead and wounded enemies lay around him. As the din of battle subsided when the Philistines finally broke and ran, the Israeli warriors crept back to see their friend standing there exhausted and bloody. Most remarkably, he was unable to release his grip on his sword! He had fought with such ferocity that his tendons were locked. His fellow warriors gathered around him and pried open his fingers, one by one, until the sword fell to the ground and Eleazar finally knew it was over! It’s not my intent to glorify the violence, but rather to let his tenacity inspire us. He wouldn’t give up.

It’s silly to dream about being Superman, but I can aspire to be an Eleazar. Even if those who stand alongside of me retreat from the battle of life, the struggle for that which is of God, it is my aspiration to keep swinging the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:17, NIV) I want to finish with my grip on His Truth intact, my love for His will the overarching notable quality of my life. How about you?
Challenges will keep coming. When we beat back one temptation, another arises. When we solve one problem, another appears. Master a skill and new demands will require yet more adaptation. That’s the nature of life! We have only a brief respite to savor the victories, before the next wave rolls toward us. There is a promise for would-be Eleazars. God, the Spirit, never leaves us on our own. We need not try to stand in our strength. The Word says that He will "strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19, NIV)

As I dealt with my Superman fantasy yesterday, I knelt to pray and took the offer of His strength, thanking Him that HE would not let me fall, asking Him for level ground and steady endurance. If you’re weary, let me encourage you to do the same. Thank Him, renew your appreciation of His grace, breathe in the life and love of Christ, then stand ‘til your hand freezes to the sword!

_______________________

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow'r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E'er to take, as from a father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
‘Till with Christ the Lord I stand.

Lina Sandell
Public Domain