The Non-Superhero's Guide To Saving the Day

Have you ever longed for superpowers? Have you ever dreamed of being a superhero? I've often wondered if I had a power, which power would I want? Super strength? Invisibility? X-ray vision? Lately, I've been fascinated with the idea of being a speedster, like the Flash. Not being much of a fan of comic books, I was always under the impression that the Flash's speed was restricted to his running. So, he could run fast. Big deal! But recently, I've discovered that not only can he run fast, but he can do everything fast. He can read 400-page books in a matter of seconds. Now that's a superpower I'd like to have!

To be honest, though, the idea of constantly saving the day sounds exhausting. Every time someone robs a bank or steals a car, the superhero is called to the rescue. Never able to live a normal life. Never able to make plans or have a routine. Always at the beck and call of law enforcement or bad guys. While I'm all for doing good in this world, I just don't think I have what it takes to be a superhero.

Fortunately, the Bible reveals a way for me to save the day, time and time again, without disrupting my own life. In fact, this method of saving the day will enhance my life and the lives of others. And while this formula may not prevent thefts and other injustices in the physical sense, it will impede the theft of my joy and peace and offer me super strength day in and day out. Would you like me to share with you this non-superhero's guide to saving the day? It can be found in Isaiah 30:15.

For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

Step one: Return to the Lord.—Too often in life, we get so busy running this way and that, we run away from the Lord without even realizing it. We cling to our own ways and the opinions of others. We follow the advice of the "experts" instead of seeking God's wisdom on the subject. Sure, we may still have our prayer time and Bible reading, but after that, God is all but forgotten as we go about our day, trying to accomplish a myriad of tasks in our own strength. Therefore, the first step to saving the day is to return our attention to God.

Step two: Rest.—After turning our attention back to God, we need to take the time to be still in His presence. I know, I know. There's so much to do and so little time, but what we fail to realize is that our busyness is not accomplishing as much as we think, and it's killing us little by little in the process. We need to be still. We need to rest in God's embrace. We need more than a few minutes of peaceful time with him in the morning.

Step three: Be quiet.—In that stillness, we would do well to do something that we often fail to do—be quiet. Unfortunately, most of our prayer time with God involves our talking. We talk about our problems. We talk about our family. We talk about our needs. And sometimes we even talk about our blessings. But how much time do we spend just listening? How much of our quiet time with God is just that–quiet? Saving the day has nothing to do with how many words we can utter during a single prayer time. I don't think that counts as a superpower.

Step four: Have faith.—Once we return our attention to the Lord, take the time to rest in His presence and get still before Him, then it's time to have faith that God will do what He has said He will do. We must have confidence in the nature and character of God, knowing that no matter how dark things may seem, God knows and is doing what is best for us. We must trust that even when things don't make sense, His way is perfect. Only then, will we have super strength and be able to save the day.

There it is. We have the formula to make every day a great day. The question is, will we use the formula or will we fall into the category of the last phrase in Isaiah 30:15—and ye would not? God will not force us to return to Him. He will not hold us down until we rest in His presence. He will not place His hand over our mouths so we will be quiet and listen for a change. And as for faith, He's already given us that; we only need to activate it. He has given us the guide, step-by-step. We have the information. It's up to us what we do with it.

We may not have superpowers, but we know Someone who does, and He has given us the opportunity to save the day. And the best part of all is we don't even need a mask or cape!