Praying for Heroes
Everybody loves a hero. We watch the stories of public heroes unfold on the news and in docudramas and our hearts are moved so that we long to be one. But what of the unsung heroes of the heart?
They seldom make headlines. Even fewer of them become known to anyone other than their own family. Heroes of the heart are the men and boys in our lives that live and work among us as dependable husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers. These heroes are our heroes because they belong to our hearts. Their selfless love has changed our worlds.
True Heroes of the heart make a difference not just for today but for eternity. They walk tall and stand firm as godly examples in a world that has by choice become godless. They have surrendered themselves to their Creator and have allowed their passion to know Him to meld them into oneness with Him in purpose, power, and prayer. Their passion and heart’s greatest desire is for His fame to spread. They long for those they love to know the reality of His hands of mercy and His heart of love. God has changed not only their hearts, but through their testimony, the hearts and lives of their families, their friends, and even their neighbors.
They walk in front of us and leave footprints so that we can follow. They cross raging rivers of doubt and confusion and build bridges so that we too can safely cross. Theirs is not just a personal journey in pursuit of finding God and longing to be fulfilled. Theirs is a journey of forging ahead with great regard and concern for their loved ones who will follow. They choose carefully their paths with us in mind. They leave many markers along the path knowing, believing, expecting us to follow. Their prayers, though personal and intimate with the lover of their souls, always have us in mind. They desire for God to change them as necessary for Him to be able to work through them for our good.
The very heart of God is in the act of every true hero. God’s heart is best and most easily seen in the life of Jesus. But if we look through the lens of our spirit, with God’s help, when we look at the godly men in our lives we will be amazed to see the very heart of Jesus shining through their eyes, living in their words and actions.
I am learning how to pray for the men and boys in my life who love the Lord and want to be this kind of hero I have spoken of above, a hero of the heart. I pray that God will help them seek Him, His presence and person more than His help and blessings. It is my prayer that they will never succumb to the thinking that they must in and of themselves meet the needs of those they love. I pray that they will keep their eyes on Jesus asking that He do first what is needed in their hearts before they try to work for Him. I pray that they will without a doubt understand completely that God is more than enough for them even when they fail. I am asking God to help them fail forward, learning how to deal with their human sinful nature as they grow in how to walk in the Spirit. I pray that all they do, say, and think will encourage them in their faith and in their faithfulness to wait on the Lord and to walk only in the good works He has prepared for them. It can be lonely as a hero up on a pedestal, so I pray for humility in their hearts to walk as Jesus did with compassion for all that surround them.
Will you join me and pray for the men and boys in your life to become heroes of the heart?
Suzi Ciliberti
Suzi Ciliberti works for Christar, a Missions Agency that plants churches among least-reached Asians worldwide. She served in Japan for two years as a single missionary and another nine with her husband and two children, then the family returned to the states. She and her husband have been serving in the US Mobilization Center since 2000. As a part of the Member Care Department, Suzi is consultant to families with children. She has been working as a children’s teacher since she was 17 and began her training under Child Evangelism Fellowship. She has taught in the church, as a school teacher for two years in a Christian elementary school, and as a speaker for adults training to work with children. She has also trained children, who are a part of families that work overseas, in their identity in Christ. She brings 44 years of teaching experience to her work. She loves creative writing as well as teaching and has found great fulfillment in combining the two as she blogs for Heartprints. She finds it a great privilege and joy to serve the Lord and His people. One of her favorite verses is Deuteronomy 4:10b, "Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children."
