“Fun fact” about me- I keep both my phone and watch on the “silent” mode. I do not like the sudden, incessant noise of notifications and I am not any good at remembering to turn the volume off for work, church, etc.; so, I have deemed it wiser just to always leave the sound off. Though I do receive silent notifications on my watch, I never wear it to bed. So, I simply need only to take off my watch in order to “unplug”.
I remember a time when I used to keep my phone’s volume on, even while sleeping, “just in case”. What if someone needed me? What if there was an emergency? What if….? One day I realized that if there ever was this type of situation, God created the world- He could certainly wake me up.
What was it, exactly, that drove my thoughts and actions? God revealed the two sinful ways of thinking that were motivating me- fear and a desire to be the “hero”. The Bible has much to say about both.
We are commanded not to fear because our God promises to help us and never leave us.
Isaiah 41:10 “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
He promises to guard us and give us peace.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Philippians 4:6-7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
These promises are not just for you, personally, but for all of His children, including the people in your life that you are currently worrying about. Of course, it takes faith in these promises to experience His peace.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
So, we know that by faith in His Word we are delivered from fear. What does the Bible have to say about wanting to be the hero? The Bible makes it very clear that there is only one God and only one Savior and it is neither you nor me.
Isaiah 43:10-11 “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior.’”
Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
1 John 4:14 “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”
For the record, I am not saying that everyone who keeps their ringer on at night has a hero complex; all of our lives are different. This was just a specific example God used in my own life to illustrate a personal weakness. Details such as these are, of course, between you and the Lord. What I am saying is that there is a difference between loving people and desiring to be their hero. Though we are, indeed, commanded to love one another in a sacrificial manner…
John 15:12-13 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
…we are, more importantly, commanded to love the Lord more than anything or anyone else, including our very own families.
Matthew 10:37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
With this all-consuming love comes trust. When we truly love the Lord, we will then believe His Word and His promises to take care of us. We will believe that He has our lives and the lives of those we love under control. We will believe that even though there is so much more going on that we can neither see nor comprehend, He knows and understands it all. We will believe in the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ and that He will do exactly what He says He will.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
Trust Him to take care of you and your loved ones. Trust Him, our one and only Hero.
Love in Christ,
Monica Ledford