Maybe it is because I am still thinking about the recent Summer Olympics or maybe it is just because I am really excited about the upcoming 3^rd season of the Flash, either way I have decided to write a few articles about the Fastest Man Alive – the superhero known as the Flash. There have actually been a number of people in the comics who have taken on the mantle of the Flash. The first man was Jay Garrick back in the 1940’s. In the 80’s and 90’s it was Wally West. For my articles I will be focusing on the star of the recent TV series. He started being the Flash in the 1950’s. We’ll be talking about Barry Allen.

Before getting back to Barry, I did mention the Olympics. In the summer Olympics this year, the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt helped to secure his legacy as the Fastest Man in the World. He won gold medals again in the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, and the 4 by 100 meter relay. He has won these three events in 3 consecutive Olympics – 2008, 2012, and now 2016. His times this year were not even his fastest times. He set the world record in previous years. His top speed was said to be about 28 miles per hour. That is incredibly fast for a human being and no one has ever been recorded as running faster than Usain Bolt in the history of the World.

Now let’s look at a Biblical example. The prophet Elijah once ran at a very fast speed – possibly even faster than Usain Bolt. After he had won a victory against the prophets of Baal, we read this from 1 Kings 18:44b-46, “So Elijah said, ‘Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’’ Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel.The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.”

We don’t know exactly how fast Elijah ran but we do know that it was miraculous speed and effort. The power of the Lord gave him the strength to run. King Ahab was in a chariot and he was riding fast to stay ahead of the storm. From what I have read, the top speed for a chariot is about 35 miles per hour. If Ahab was pushing the horses then it is possible that Elijah was running even faster than Usain Bolt’s world record speed. Even if they averaged about 20 miles per hour, the distance from Carmel to Jezreel was 20 miles. Even 20 miles per hour would be world record time for a runner over that distance.

Let’s think about the Flash. He is described as being much faster than either Usain Bolt or Elijah. At times he breaks the sound barrier (768 mph). One quote from the show says something like this, “I used to think the fastest a man could run a mile was 4 minutes, you can do it in 4 seconds.” To which Barry replied, “I got it down to 3 seconds.” At times they even talk about him going around 1500 miles per hour. He does have amazing advantages that come with his speed. He can run in and out of a burning building to rescue people and the flames can’t touch him because of his speed. In one episode, he wakes up late and is able to get ready at superspeed and still make it to work. He can also eat whatever he wants because of his super high metabolism. He needs loads of calories because of his speed.

In my life as a Christian, I sometimes think it would be wonderful to be blessed with a gift like the Flash. If I could do things at superspeed then I could get smuch done. I could run blindingly fast from task to task. I could accomplish so much more in the day. I wouldn’t have to spend so much time traveling in the car. I could eat all I want at the potlucks and still stay in shape. I would have more time to spend at home with my family. I wouldn’t be stressed because I would accomplish more tasks and that would be fantastic.

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I think about what Jesus says to all of us in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” God doesn’t want us to speed up so that we can get more done. He wants us to slow down. He wants us to spend time with him. He wants us to spend time in worship and Bible Study. He wants us to spend time in prayer. He wants us to open up our scriptures so that we can learn more about him. Then we will be strengthened with the message of forgiveness through Christ. The hope of heaven helps to alleviate our earthly stress.

The more superheroes you read about or watch on screen, the more you think, “Wouldn’t it be cool to have that power.” It would be amazing to have superspeed like the Flash. You could use it to rescue people, travel through time, or even travel to other dimensions. I will let you think about those until a future post. For now the take away is this: God doesn’t want us to speed up our lives. Rather, he wants us to slow down and spend time with the gospel message. Because of the amazing gospel of Christ, the stresses of this life start to go away.

Flash History

As I mentioned, there are several comic book characters who have been the Flash. Jay Garrick was the first Flash in 1940. Barry Allen was the second Flash in 1956. Wally West was introduced in 1959 and became the third Flash in 1986. For the live action TV shows and upcoming movie, Barry Allen is the Flash. The simplest explanation is the Barry gained his superspeed because he was struck by lightning. There is more to it depending on which version you are familiar with. In the current TV series, a particle accelerator exploded and the energy from the explosion caused many people to get powers. Because of the explosion, a bolt of lightning struck Barry and gave him his powers.