How many times have you and I done something like prayed for others or choose integrity or remained faithful without someone knowing? You are faithfully serving Jesus, loving others, and walking in obedience even when no one recognizes it. If this is you then you may be an unsung hero. Unsung heroes biblically are faithful individuals whose impact goes unnoticed by the world but is valued and seen in God’s eyes.
I want to talk about 2 unsung heroes of the Bible that you may or may not have heard of. These 2 people exhibited our thought, “Confident Expectations”. In order to be confident, one must completely put one’s trust in. When I hear the word expectations, I immediately think about looking forward to something, having hope in, and waiting on a particular thing.
Our first unsung hero is a woman named Phoebe. We meet her in Romans chapter 16 verses 1 and 2 where Paul presents her to the Roman believers. He uses the words like, our dear sister, servant, and helper. Biblical scholars say that Phoebe either delivered the letter to the Romans, or she was with a group of people who did. Phoebe was a faithful servant in the Church. We do not hear about her performing great miracles or setting up churches, but one who is underrecognized in the pulpits. Phoebe exhibited confident expectation by faithfully serving the church, trusting God to use her obedience for His purposes. As New Testament believers, we can learn from Phoebe’s unwavering trust and willingness to serve, even without public recognition. Our confidence is found in this truth: El Roi, yes, the God who sees, sees our faithfulness!
The next unsung hero is a man named Tychicus. You may be wondering who this person is. Well, he is mentioned in the Bible 5 times, and he was from Asia Minor. Tychicus was one of Paul’s traveling companions as first described in Acts 20. (“And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.” Acts 20:4) Paul describes him as a dear brother, faithful servant, and zealous. (“Now, so that you also may know about my circumstances, as to what I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you.” Ephesians 6:21) Tychicus was not an errand boy. He was strengthening and encouraging believers with the Good News of Jesus. He played a vital role to Paul, to the early Church, and God used him for His glory. I love how Tychicus reminds us that faithfulness, serving, witnessing, and encouragement are powerful ministries. You and I don’t need a pulpit, a bullhorn, a platform, or to be nationally known to have impact—being consistent, trustworthy, and obedient are just a few ways we can exhibit “Confident Expectations” in God’s calling. Our hope in who our Savior Jesus is fills us with this confidence.
Our encouraging takeaway: You and I may not be known by this world and that’s ok. What goes unnoticed by people will never go unnoticed by God…place your hope in Jesus.