Faith In The Midst of Chaos
Tuesday, June 9
Faith In The Midst of Chaos
Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” Judges 16:28
The Book of Judges represents a time when Biblical judges served as temporary leaders. We think about the judges as both a period of time and a book of the Bible. These were desperate times. There is a refrain that runs through the book of Judges: ‘In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit’ (17:6). This was a time of chaos. In these desperate times God raised up judges like Samson. He led Israel for twenty years and was recorded as one of the heroes of faith (Hebrews 11:32).
Anointed by the Holy Spirit, God used Samson powerfully. However, he also had a weakness that he did not control and as such it led to immorality (Judges 16:1–10) and deception. Eventually, he pushed God to the limit through his persistent disobedience and we read ‘the Lord… left him’ (v.20).
Samson received extraordinary strength from God as a conditional covenant. But it was directly related to his obedience. God had told him not to cut his hair. So long as he obeyed God he would have supernatural strength. But when he walked away, the spirit of the Lord left him.
After persistent request, Samson gave in and told Delilah the secret of his strength – although it must have been obvious to him by then that she would take advantage of him. Samson gave into the temptation and the result was Delilah cut his hair and his strength was gone.
Yet in the midst of it all, Samson knew and understand that God did not fail him. Samson reached a point of utter desperation in his own life. He was in captivity, he was blind and his captors were about to make a spectacle of him. While under pressure Samson prayed to the Lord: ‘O Sovereign Lord, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more’ (v.28). And God heard his prayer of faith. Isn’t that wonderful! Even after all his failures, God still answered Samson’s cry.
Today that story stands to encourage us. No matter what the situation, and no matter what you have done, it is never too late to turn back to God. However great a person of God may be, it is vital to remember that strength comes from God alone. Jesus said, ‘Without me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5, NKJV).
Prayer for today: Loving Father, thank you that I can find refuge in Your presence, and that you always hear my desperate cries for help. Amen!
Read the full chapter here.