Will tying a towel around my neck like Superman give me power to leap tall buildings? If only I could find a vitamin that would give me super strength.
During my childhood, I knew a little guy who feverishly fought on the school playground. Without a doubt, he was strong in spirit, but that was never enough to win. In fact, other boys loved to fight him because they could always win while appearing to take on a worthy opponent. What’s the point? Being strong of spirit isn’t enough. We must be strong in the Holy Spirit to do what would otherwise be impossible.
I think Simon Peter was small in stature and had never won a fight. I base that on what seems to be his talkative, impulsive, and defensive nature that would cover his feeling inferior. When he met Jesus for the first time, hearing that God would make him a “rock” would have seemed like the impossible dream.
Children’s books often portray David as a child, which is absurd. As a child, he was anointed to become king someday. He was no child when he faced Goliath. King Saul was head and shoulders taller than other men. Since Saul wanted David to wear his armor and was willing to put Israel’s future at risk, we know David had to be of full stature, at least as tall as the average man. Like an eighteen-year-old athlete who had never played college ball, David took his limited skill with a sling to be tested on the battlefield for the first time. His experience with the lion and the bear gave him confidence that the Lord would guide his aim.
Picture books and movies portray Samson as one who worked out daily at the gym, with super strength that could overcome an army. That picture can’t be true. He might have been a 100-lb skinny weakling who had to run back-and-forth in the shower to get wet. We know his appearance was nothing above average, because the Philistines desperately sought the secret to his strength.
As with David and Solomon, God’s super strength is my only hope for fulfilling my comic book dreams.
I have lived in poverty and prosperity. I have gone hungry and at other times have feasted. I know what it’s like, both to abound and to suffer desperate needs. In all situations, no matter how little or how much I have, I must depend on Christ for my strength and guidance. — Philippians 4:12–13, The Discussion Bible