In the ever blooming, eternally fragrant long, long fields of grace in the Kingdom of Heaven, there grows a special flower, who’s name i can’t pronounce, but it means “song of the unsung hero”. It blooms day and night, and it’s fragrance stands above many others. It is sort of a thick fragrance that is intoxicating and in the perfume are melodies that play in your ears and mind about the lives of jots and tittles which accented living letters, which comprised the words, that were made into sentences, composed into paragraphs, combined together into the stories of the everlasting love of the Father, the blood of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
People love a hero, but rarely does anyone speak, except for a moment or two, about those who were there to propel others to a position of visibility, those who’s service unto the Lord is typically, unheard, and unknown, and if it weren’t for them, things wouldn’t have gone as well as they did. The Lord does not forget the beauty of obedience, and the self-less push to accomplish His heart, even if no one knows who they are, God remembers.
People may forget the man who drove the truck full of bread through the African bush at night, all night long, delivering bread to outlying tribes… oh, sure… we all remember that no matter how much bread was given away, the truck bed never ran out of bread, an incredible miracle in itself. Yes, we remember how the bandits thought to rob the people on the truck, but how quickly we forget the truck driver, who had lost his bowls out of fear, somehow found extra courage and hands of grace, got out of the driver’s seat and just started handing out bread to the armed bandits, who, with their arms full of bread, just smiled and went away. We remember the leadership of the ministry, they were the face of the service to the public, but no one seems to remember the people or the truck driver who delivered bread till the sun broke the horizon the next day. Oh, and by the way, they never did run out of bread.
Many unsung hero’s are in forgotten vaults, unnamed graves of which any memories have long faded away, they have only well settled soil and never ceasing wind… we know God alone remembers the sacrifice of those who are now buried in time. They possessed a gallant, daring heart and a righteous mind, they often went without fear and were, out of necessity in the moment often left to die. They are unsung heroes who’s forgotten valor is not noticed by men, like unknown soldiers with no flowers on their final resting places, only shadows grow where the unremembered lie.
Everyday somewhere in the world, another unsung hero is born. Someone who is willing to lay their life on the line. They give their lives for the truth…they are the few who typically don’t want medals, glory or even fame, not that a little recognition wouldn’t hurt…yet they didn’t need a title to do the right thing and be obedient to the call of the Lord. In fact, i think many unsung heroes would walk away afterwards, without anyone ever knowing their name and they’d be good with that. It is extraordinary how things work out when we give someone else the credit, build up someone else’s ministry, or the Lord gives it to us to buy into the vision of another. Leaving our name off the credits reel is a much bigger deal than we think…..God loves it when we promote someone other than ourselves.
Those who’s names weren’t in the credits at the end of the story, they are unsung heroes who’s forgotten valor is not noticed by men, with no flowers on their final resting places, and only shadows grow where the forgotten lie. We may be among the unsung heroes, buried in unknown graves which are covered in grass and shadow, nor marker or headstone with the wind as our orchestra, but God remembers.
`i believe most probably feel that they haven’t done anything special and that their actions are something anyone else would have done. Therefore, to all those unsung heroes, for all the lives that you save every day… i salute you also, and hope each of our lives minister to the Lord as yours have.
In 2 Chronicles 14 there is a great story which i’ve marveled at for years. Just realizing the size of this battle scene is truly a stretch of my imagination. It was big, i mean really, really big. The scene opens in verse 3, revealing that Asa did right in the eyes of the Lord and the land was at rest, which was a wonderful thing. Verses 5 & 6 show how the king built up the nation and the Lord gave them peace. They had created an army of about 580,000 fighting men to defend their little nation….no small number for sure, but then a guy named Zerah comes out of Ethiopia with a one million man army and wants to fight.
Between the two waring nations, that is 1.5 million people, and that’s just those who were considered “fighting men”, all gathered in one spot to fight to the death. That’s like the entire population of Phoenix, Arizona or all of Philadelphia, Penn., going to war. These people were serious. Think about it, if you gave each person a 4ft x 4ft area to stand in, lined them up shoulder to shoulder front to back 1040 ft deep, there would literally be a line of people nearly 4 miles long, and they had gathered for the purpose of war.
As the story goes, down in verses 12-15, the Lord defeated the Ethiopian army, and the men of Judah chased them ALL down until none of that million was left alive, at least that’s how i read it…There is no mention of the armor bearers, the cooks, the livestock keepers, the tent erectors, the carpenters and black smiths, the fire starters….the water bringers who served not only the fighting men, the livestock, but all the attendants for the leadership and their staff…. there were the quarter masters who managed the stores, lots and lots of stores. And now, in the end of chapter 14, all those fighting men are killed off and God gave the battle to Judah. Who’s gonna deal with all those dead bodies? If we laid each dead man of Zerah’s army out on the ground, gave them approximately 12 Sqft of space, laying them head to toe one acre wide, there would be a line of dead men approximately one acre wide by nearly 11 miles long!! Do the math. After the big battle, the unsung hero’s that no one mentions cared for the wounded, brought water and food, picked up the miles of trash left behind by an enormous army as they mowed down the country side marching to war. The unsung hero’s which scouted out in front and even took the time to count the numbers in the Ethiopian army, didn’t get not even a meritorious mention….but yet if they each had not functioned in their given capacity, at the necessary time, i seriously doubt things would have gone as well as they did.
Truth be told, that is how things go largely for most of us. We speak the gospel in our words or actions, in our small way, in our little corner of the world, and the Lord is gracious to us and makes provision and appointment where ever we go. Friends, where the appointment is, therein is the provision.
Most of us are so often those who take care of the details, arriving early to tidy up, pray and invest in the hope of the church the Lord gave us to be in, to bear witness to the power and glory of God. Let’s be inspired by these unsung hero’s, ordinary people doing what they know to do, playing a part in history, i believe all to be told in Heaven one day on the great day of the Lord. Phil Keaggy wrote, “And there will be no more crying. He will wipe away every tear From His children’s eyes And put a smile upon their faces. What a happy day when we see Our Lord in Paradise
Crowned as King of Kings. What a day that will be, Oh what a day that will be!
i didn’t want to grab examples of all the typical unsung hero’s. There’s a lot here to talk about, a lot to be said for losing your name and supporting the vision someone else is doing. Like when we go to help in another country, true, we may be more knowledgeable, we may be wiser, we may have more of this or that, but the ministry will go much better with a great deal more success if we’ll go there, support them in what they are doing, and putting their name on the labor. We’ll get to go back to our nice places, but they will be there doing the work. Adding value to their credibility and their work in the Kingdom is doing the right stuff.
Like all the people who helped Israel through their toughest times, for most of them there is no history, no knowledge, no recording whatsoever about who they were. Yet they were instrumental in the deliverance of Israel. Once again, i believe it’s easy to see you don’t have to be a leader, you don’t have to have your name up in lights to be a hero of the faith.
According to I Chronicles 12:32, there is the brief mention of the sons of Issachar…..it says they were, “men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…” These extraordinary men are mentioned as only 200 leaders within little Issachar’s tribe….and considering that they lived right up near Saul’s territory, it was a thing of great courage to side with David. As far as i can reckon, Issachar was only a pretty small part of those who came to support David to be King. As the chapter goes on, it’s mentioned there were other, much larger tribes, who i would have thought would lean more towards supporting Saul’s camp, so it was extraordinary that they pitched their hat in the ring for David to be King. i hold they should be pointed out as unsung hero’s of their faith, with wisdom and courage to “buck the system” in order to see David crowned as King.
Those men who “understood the times” and just “knew what to do”….those 200 leaders seemed to know that David was God’s anointed one. Their move to join with the other tribes to crown David seemed like a really bad idea, but they trusted in God’s power to accomplish His plan and carried out amazing faith to act with what appeared the worst possible choice.
There is another guy worthy of mention, and that’s Gedaliah, who in 2Kings25 has been made governor. After Jerusalem’s capture, the Babylonians appointed Gedaliah governor of the few who remained in Judah. Jeremiah instructed the small remnant to rally around Gedaliah, who gathered the leaders to himself in Mizpah. All things went well for a while but Ishmael, the real culprit who wanted to destroy what was left of the government, tried to make Gedaliah out to be the bad guy, but Gedaliah was willing to risk his life to keep the people in the land as God had instructed them through Jeremiah. He was in a very uncomfortable position, to say the least, and Ishmael killed him for it. Gedaliah had the courage to follow the Lord’s instruction, and it proved a pivotal point in Israel’s history.
The Lord may ask us to put ourselves in very unpopular positions which may even put us at odds with others, but if we know God has appointed us to take that stand, we must follow after the Lord and His purposes.
It is clear, these are the days when God is looking for people like the tribe of Issachar, willing to be audacious in their prayers, buck the dogmatic majority, and extend themselves, possibly in great risk, to accomplish the purposes of the Lord.
God is looking for people who make choices similar to the tribe of Issachar—those who, because they understand the times, will go against the flow of the majority and follow Jesus, even at great risk. Saying we give our lives to Christ and actually acting like it, day after day, is two different things, sort of like having wisdom and doing wisdom are widely different.
One of my favorites among unsung hero’s is found in 2 Samuel 17, when David had gathered his people and left town because his treacherous son Absalom decided to take over and was looking to take David’s life. King David quickly gathered those who were still loyal to the crown and beat feet out of town. When team David had travelled a pretty good distance, still having managed to escape Absalom’s army, there came three guys who showed up with all sorts of good stuff to sustain the King and his house. 2 Samuel 17:27-29, “When David came to Mahanaim (makh-an-ah’-yim), Shobithe son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir (maw-keer) the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim (ro-gel-eem’), brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.” It must have looked like a wagon train carrying all that stuff, and it must have been God who got them there.
Manahaim (makh-an-ah’-yim) was a camping place and then became a city near Jabbok, beyond the Jordan River, it’s where the angels of the Lord met Jacob in the way and he said, “This is God’s camp”, and from then on it was called Manahaim (makh-an-ah’-yim). David and his people found themselves as fugitives, running to escape Absalom who wanted to kill David…..they had stopped to rest and make camp there, when Shobi, Machir(maw-keer), and Barzillai (who was 80 at the time) showed up with provisions. Those three guys were running a huge risk, they had to weave their way, with wagons and supplies, through Absalom’s soldiers going fast enough to get ahead of the soldiers AND catch the fleeing David. i figure they must have been hidden by God and been given Holy Ghost speed to do what they did.
i have wondered, who were those three men who took such an incredible chance? With the exception of Barzillai who is mentioned as having been honored by David in chapt 19, there isn’t anything much said of the three in scripture, but we can possibly draw some conclusions of their character by simply looking at their names. Shobi’s name means “transporter”, a man who had the means to move things in bulk, probably in wagons….. hidden in his name is rescue and restoration, humility and generosity.
Machir is next and his name means “salesman”, a guy who knew how to get stuff. Hidden in his name is the power to actualize potential, meaning he was the “git ‘er down” type of fellow,also a humble and generous man.
Barzillai from Rogelim, his name means “man of iron” or to say, he had a strong constitution, a thinking guy with valor and hope who also was humble, generous with an open hand. So…based on that, we could say when King David was at the camping place called “God’s camp”, the Lord sent rescue, supplication, and hope to help in their time of need….they were essential and came at a pivotal time which was also right on time. What they brought in the time of need was no small provision…they even brought beds. Somehow they knew what they needed to bring with them.
The transporter, the salesman, and the iron heart took a terrible risk, but the Lord led them through all the traps to make the delivery of provision. It was a tipping point in David’s favor during Absalom’s campaign against his father.
The Lord’s hand was against Absalom and in the Lord’s wisdom He allowed the treacherous son’s hand to play out in order to defend David and his loyal people.
Those three, Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai are unsung hero’s. No one pointed them out that we know of after that, for they are exclusively God’s to lift up at the appropriate time. They were available and the Lord used them, for the Lord is always searching to raise up a people who are ready and are willing to lose their name and be mightily used.
1 Peter 4:9-11, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
For what it’s worth, i think most people have a pretty big misunderstanding about what it means to serve the Lord, i know i did for years, and my misunderstanding may still lurk somewhere below the surface, but i think i’m certainly getting a better idea as time goes by.
i can not tell you how many times i’ve asked someone what they do in the Kingdom of God and i’m met with an odd, awkward, silence, they shift their eyes nervously from one side to the other–then they shrug their shoulders and say something like, “Oh, I’m only a” this or, “Well, I just” that…and they say it in a tone of voice which indirectly implies, “I’m nobody in particular… I don’t really do anything important.” i myself have responded that way for years, and even today, i still respond that way occasionally. It seems to me people want us to give them a title of some sort which they can relate to, but the truth is, most of us don’t have a typical, recognizable title, and we are at a loss for how to describe ourselves. Obviously, we don’t understand how important we are to God as individuals.
When i became a Christian, i heard all about amazing people with amazing gifts, gifts of teaching, preaching, prophesying, or healing. Once or twice an incredible musician would come to our church and blow every one away with the talent God gave them….we were all awe-struck. In the meantime, i would sit back and think, “Gosh,
if I had gifts like that, I’d just be crazy serving Jesus too!” Over time, i started feeling that because i had a different calling somehow it meant i had a lesser calling, and that’s simply not true.
God needs people who are midwives, like Shiphrah, and Puah who felt it more important to obey God than Pharaoh. The Lord needs movers, salesman, and brave people willing to take a chance and follow Jesus. He needs bean counters, business people, home makers, tile layers, livestock tenders, truck drivers, and people who just know what to do at the right time.
Ok, so, listen to me. i want you to get this down in your head: You are valuable, right where you sit, did you know that? i heard someone say that if you want to know what your ministry is, everyday you go out your door, you are in your ministry, and you are playing a key part in reaching the world with the Gospel. Each of us is literally “one of a kind.” There’s not one person that Jesus can’t use if you’re interested in giving yourself to the work….listen now: no one is useless in the Kingdom of God. No matter what you can or can’t do – God has a job for you. A friend of mine says, “THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD!”
Stop worrying, and be ready….position yourself and do what is in front of you to do. Think about it.
If you sing, then sing like the birds of Heaven; if you farm, farm like you’re growing God’s agriculture; if you paint, sculpt, or whatever art you do, do it as if you were making a present to the king Himself, and never mind if you’ll ever get your money out of it all, God is the great equalizer; if you are in the medical field, your kindness may be all it takes to turn a lonely soul to Jesus.
i used to pine and whine because i wanted my name on the walls in the long halls of who’s who, among the ones who went here and there, said this and that, and the famous people who did such and such. One day, my framed picture was indeed on the walls in those long halls and i realized it was a mistake. So i went and took my own picture down and put the garbage man’s picture on the wall, then i hung a picture of the gardener i met in a far, far away village. i wrote on those walls, in indelible ink, the names of the cooks in the soup kitchens who feed hundreds of street children everyday….i wrote the names of the sweepers, the masons, and the cleaners of toilet bowl basins, and more, i wrote their names on the palms of my hands and held my hands up to the Lord weeping in prayer for them, speaking favor and blessing over them.
We may be among the unsung heroes, buried in unknown graves which are covered in grass and shadow, nor marker or headstone with the wind as our orchestra, but God remembers.
Malachi 3:16, “Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who thought often on His name.”
i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, a late evening, semi-live broadcast from the deck area of a cafe overlooking the cascading banks of the Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge, and every evening is pleasant.
Support to make all this happen is by Living In His Name Ministries, the 20/20 Mens Group at the Lavender Thrift & Gift Store, Sister’s Coffee Company, Longview Video Works, and Trinity Bakers where there’s always something good in the oven.
We know God alone remembers the sacrifice of those who are now buried in time, those who possessed a strong constitution and a righteous heart, they often went without fear and were often, out of necessity, left behind. They are unsung heroes who’s forgotten valor is not noticed by men, with no flowers on their final resting places, and only shadows grow where the forgotten lie. But God remembers and He does not forget. There is a flower which grows in the long fields of grace called the song of the unsung hero and every petal has a name on it. If you have forgotten me, it’s just another day passing, but God remembers, and that is everything. We say we believe there is more than this life, but do we live like it? i mean really…. step into the work and live like you mean your words of faith.
Be strong and courageous! We’ll meet again soon, i’d certainly love to see your smiling face. Amen!
