Do any of you enjoy Lord of the Rings or DC Comics?
In both of these series we find incognito heroes. In Lord of the Rings, there’s a Ranger from the North named Strider. The four Hobbits think he’s different–a skilled hunter and tracker. They soon learn he has warrior skills. But they do not know until much later that he is the rightful heir to Middle Earth’s Kingdom of Men, the great son of Arathorn, descendent of Numenoreans. He’s been undercover.
Likewise Clark Kent is a nerdy guy from a farm town who starts working for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. By day he’s bumbling, a nice guy with thick black-rim glasses. But when he is needed, he reveals his true self, Superman, Kal-El of Krypton, a force forever to be reckoned with and feared.
In Scripture, Peter and two other disciples go up a mountain with Jesus (Luke 9). When they go up the mountain Jesus is a powerful Rabbi and healer to them. Peter even believes he’s the future King who’ll put Israel back on the map and push the Romans out. But at the summit, wondrously, Jesus is met by Moses and Elijah, and transfigured before the stunned disciples, beaming in His pre-incarnate Divine Glory. And the very voice of God speaks, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Luke 9:35, New King James Version).
More than meets the Eye
Those three disciples descended the mountain changed by a transformative glimpse of the One who would deliver the world from Sin and Death, creating an Eternal Kingdom for all who trust Him. What a powerful turn-around from being a stressed-out Hebrew fishermen, casting nets in the backwaters of the Roman Empire, now pivotal leaders called by the Lord.
We are in COMPTUEX (Composite Training Unit Exercise). It’s stressful… The long watches. So many variables. Ever-shifting scenarios. Close oversight from the Carrier Strike Group. Even the event’s visibility to Third Fleet brings a sense of being tested, that our mettle is being analyzed to the highest levels. And by ourselves! I encourage you to take a step back. Recognize that the Lord whom you serve is here too. He’s more than a good teacher. Or even the wonderful simple Savior you learned about in Sunday School. He’s Immanuel. The God of the Underway and of life’s Shore. He will carry us to the next level of warfighting in the cause of peace. And if we let him, for the Cause of Truth, Justice and a Kingdom that never ends, where all is revealed, and lives are transformed for Eternity.
