Often time in life, we ourselves are in helpless situations. We find ourselves struggling with piles and piles of homework, difficult or even irreconcilable relationships which leads us to a situation that is desperate and impossible.
At times like these, giving up sounds like a better option - I don’t know about you but I get that a lot simply because it is easier to stop and just let it pass.
Today I would like to share with you an example that made a lot of sense to me. I would take my reading in the story of Judges, the story of Samson.
Samson was once a Judge chosen and appointed by God to be the light of the people at that time when the Israelites were captives to the Philistines. He performed many extraordinary miracles such as killing a lion, killing 30 people just to get 30 sheets of garments, with the jawbone of a donkey he killed even 1000 people! But just like many, Samson had also a questionable lifestyle. The Book of Judges clearly mentioned he married a foreign wife, where God commanded specifically the nation of Israel not to do and he even looked for a prostitute with the name of Delilah. One good question you will ask is.. can God use someone like that? How can a Prostitute – be used by God?
As a result of all these actions, one day, Samson was betrayed by Delilah. Delilah had his hair shaved off! As we know, Samson’s strength came from his hair on his heada and with this gone, so did his powers. What appeared to be a hope of the nations soon became someone who is forced to do grinding work and adding on, Samson was blinded and taken captive. Can you imagine the humiliation? Imagine you took a bet with someone in arm wrestling and if you lost, you are to sniff their armpit, someone video tape it and put in on youtube.
Within hours the world knows of this. Try imagining, then you can have a rough picture of what Samson had undergone.
But you see, there is one thing very commendable about Samson and I also like to draw to you this. Even when Samson was blind, at the very end of his life when he was brought to temple of Dagon to perform strong man acts (basically to show of his muscles and to make fun of himself), he cried out to the LORD - "Remember Me."
He still remembered the LORD and as he placed his hands on the pillars of the temple and he pushed it, the LORD slay through him more Philistines than he has ever slained in his life. That was a great act of turnaround the LORD did in Samson’s life, from a complete slave to a complete deliverer again.
In due time, just as Samson's hair grows, God uses the circumstances in our lives to teach us and to train us that we will clearly see.
1) True faith endures time.
2) True training is difficult.
3) True Disciples Perseveres.
When the circumstances turn wrong, we ought to remember God is LORD over all and no matter how hopeless sometimes the situation can be - God can turn it for the better. Perhaps it may not the situation always but it can no doubt turn us into a better man / woman. Samson probably relied a lot on his own strength before he was blind but only when he was truly blind, he realized the only person that is capable of delivering him is the LORD. Sometimes we are blind to the fact that it is the LORD who has given us the good times but certainly it will also be the LORD, only the LORD who is able to deliver us from the bad times.
May we learn to apply this today, not to give up but rather, persist for the LORD.
Be Thou My Vision, O LORD of my heart.
-Johnson Khor
Images taken from:
http://fmyownland.blogspot.com/2011/01/helpless.html
http://rebeccamossart.blogspot.com/2011/02/samson-and-delilah.html
http://knowgodknowlove.wordpress.com/page/8/
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