The Daily Grace - Who's That Hero?

Reading the book of Judges, with its battles and mighty warriors, can sometimes feel like reading about comic book superheroes. We have Deborah, Barak, Gideon, and Samson. However, in the line of judges (or deliverers), we also find Othniel. The account of his life is brief and straightforward (Judges 3:7-11). No drama. No display of prowess. Bu what we do see is what God did through Othniel: "The Lord raised up a deliverer" (v. 9), "the Spirit of the Lord came upon him" (v. 10), and "the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand" (v. 10).

The Othniel account helps us focus on what is most important - the activity of God. Interesting stories and fascinating people can obscure that. We end up concentrating on those and fail to see what the Lord is doing.

When I was young, I wished I could be more talented so that I could point more people to Christ. But I was looking at the wrong thing. God often uses ordinary people for His extraordinary work. It is His light shining through our lives that glorifies God and draws others to Him (Matt. 5:16). When others look at our life, it is important that they see God - not us. Our limited ability highlights God's limitless power.