Growing In the Dark

Judges 16:20-22
20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” 
So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as 
before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he 
did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

21 Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, 
and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze 
fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. 22 However, 
the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been 
shaven.

I can only imagine what Sampson must have felt the moment he reached for his God - given strength only to come up empty.  I can only wonder how it felt to be subdued by someone he knew he was stronger than before.  Wow, the feeling of humiliation, the reality of failure - that probably stung the most.  On top of all that, he was put in irons, his sight was taken from him, and he became a slave to the very people he gained victory over, time and time again.

In the bottom of that prison, it was dark, dank, and lonely.  Sampson had no choice but to reflect on all of the terrible decisions that got him there in the first place!  I wonder if he reasoned within himself things like; 'Why in the world did I fall for this woman?' or 'How could I be so stupid to think that I was invincible?'  Ladies and gentlemen, Sampson was in a very dark place. Have you ever been there?

It's in times like these that we must make some critical decisions if we are to rise from the hell hole we've found ourselves in.  Rather than grope in the dark, whine and complain in he dark...our text says that his hair began to grow back...Sampson decided to grow in the dark!

Lord of All

Psalms 47: 1 - 4, 'O clap your hands, all ye peoples! Shout unto God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet. He will choose our inheritance for us, the excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah

I love this verse because God tells us to rejoice in the fact that He is Lord over everyone!  Not just the church, but EVERYONE! Furthermore, He will conquer and subdue people beneath us, those who oppose the will of God for their lives, and for ours.

I also rejoice because through Him, my inheritance has been chosen! I'm accepted in the beloved because of His grace and His mercy. Acts 2: 39 says, 'For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.'

This is amazing! What we must do as God's people is listen for the Voice of God to speak life, the Hand of God to move on our behalf, and the Power of God to fill us with Him!!  Christian, can God speak to your life and move you closer to Him?  God longs to put things in motion for us and help us to realize what our destiny and inheritance is; I wonder if our distractions and / or unbelief, tie His hands?

Jeremiah 29: 11, 'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.'

The word 'thoughts' is also translated as 'plans'.  The imagery given is a weaving or knitting of fine fabric together in order to create a wonderful masterpiece called, your life!!  God is telling us that the plans He has for us will give us a future and a hope in Him! Give Him complete cooperation, and let Him have His way in your life...if He will truly be Lord over all the earth...that would include you wouldn't it?

- Pastor Melrose