Judges 16:26-30
A young man was leading Samson by the hand, and Samson said to him, "I need to lean against something. Take me over to the columns that hold up the roof." The Philistine rulers were celebrating in a temple packed with people and with three thousand more on the flat roof. They had all been watching Samson and making fun of him.
Samson prayed, "Please remember me, LORD God. The Philistines poked out my eyes, but make me strong one last time, so I can take revenge for at least one of my eyes!" Samson was standing between the two middle columns that held up the roof. He felt around and found one column with his right hand, and the other with his left hand.
Then he shouted, "Let me die with the Philistines!" He pushed against the columns as hard as he could, and the temple collapsed with the Philistine rulers and everyone else still inside. Samson killed more Philistines when he died than he had killed during his entire life.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I watched CNN’s Anderson Cooper interview a young woman in Joplin, Missouri, who was caught in the devastating tornado that ravaged her community. The woman said that while she took refuge underneath an overpass, she observed an eighteen-wheeler flying through the air… literally tossed about by the tornado. When it came to rest, the vehicle was on its side. She left her car and rushed to check on the driver, who was trapped in the cab. The windshield was loose in one spot, and she somehow managed to grab hold of the windshield wipers and rip the windshield away so that the man could climb out and free himself.
She explained that after she rescued this driver, she returned to her car, and a law enforcement officer approached her with a person who was injured and asked her to drive this person to medical help. She began searching for a Red Cross rescue unit for this person… thinking she could stick around and volunteer. The woman explained that she had volunteered for the Red Cross before in disasters that were far more minor.
Anderson Cooper was amazed that this young woman who had just experienced such a shocking event was willing and able to volunteer to help others. He was even more stunned when she casually said, “Well, my home was destroyed, so this gave me something to do.” It was as if she said, “Lord, my eyes have been poked out by the enemy, but please remember me one more time. Let me bring something constructive and good out of all of this chaos.”
I wonder… how often do we do this? When our “eyes” are gouged out by the enemy, do we ask God to give us opportunities to serve? Or do we “tuck tail” and run for the hills? Samson was by no means a perfect man. He had his flaws… and his failures. His faith may have faltered at times, but He never gave up on God… and God never gave up on Samson!
God has not given up on you, either. It may seem like He has turned His back on you… but truly, this is not the case. God may step back and give us a little room to squirm… a chance to learn a few hard lessons… but He never deserts us completely. We are the ones who walk away. But it doesn’t have to be like this. We have everything to gain by staying faithful to God… and everything to lose by trying to do things our own way. We shouldn’t have to have a tornado or an “eyes gouged out” moment to shake us into a right relationship with God, but if that’s where you find yourself… there is still hope.
Stop what you are doing and talk with God. Ask Him to forgive you for wandering away and thinking you could make it on your own. Humbly come before Him and offer yourself to Him…gouged eyes and all…and see what He has in store. Discover the opportunities that God has waiting for you… to serve… to be a blessing… and to be blessed.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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