Being Captain Recovery

These are the names of the mighty men whom David had . . . 2 Samuel 23:8

Over the last 20 years, a slew of superhero movies have been made, and like many of you, my family has enjoyed most of them. My personal favorite is the story of the 98-pound scrawny soldier who was a helpless weakling until he was transformed into a super soldier who stood up for all the other 98-pound weaklings. I mean, who hasn’t wanted to be him? We haven’t all faced existential threats to our planet, but we’ve all had those moments where we feel powerless. And we’ve all wished we were strong enough to make things right. In his world, the conflict is always black and white and he’s always on the side of good. Yes, I want to be him.

I don’t have superpowers though, and I’ll never fight crime or save the world. Does that mean that I can never do anything heroic? Today’s passage answers that question for me. In it, the three mighty men of King David are named alongside the deeds that made them famous. These were larger-than-life heroes who accomplished great feats in the name of their king. They didn’t have superpowers though. They were just normal men who followed God’s will, and through whom God did great things.

And that is the recurring story of heroes in the Bible. These apparently heroic men and women were all just normal, flawed people who relied on God, did his will, and through whom God did amazing things. It wasn’t their power, but rather their reliance on God’s power that made the difference. They were weak, but they exercised faith in God, who was their strength.

I’m unlikely to do anything heroic or worthy of an action movie this week. So far, my most epic moment probably involved sitting with an inmate last Sunday morning, simply sharing my story. Or maybe it was being involved in our church’s baptism on the shores of a local lake. Compared to Captain America’s exploits, these are pretty mundane events, but to that guy sitting in jail, Sunday morning Bible study was a big deal.

God doesn’t ask us to save the world. He has, however, asked that we impact our little corner of it for him. That means that daily, we must seek faith and recovery. It means we must love those he’s put in our path. In doing so, we admit or weakness, and we rely on God’s strength to work though us. It may not be Hollywood heroic, but it’s not pointless or trivial. When we abandon our way to follow God’s, he transforms us, doing great things through us. We’re not superheroes, but we don’t have to be. If we follow God, his transforming power will work miracles in us and in the lives of those around us.