I know you will enjoy my guest, Denise Kelso Loock, as she shares some lessons from Samson and how we are never beyond restoration.
Guest devotional
O Sovereign LORD, remember me, O God, please strengthen me just once more,
and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes. Judges 16:28
If the Tribe of Dan Regional High School had published a yearbook, Samson would’ve certainly been the Athlete of the Year. Imagine his dominance as a outside linebacker. The newspapers would’ve been filled with projections about his prospects as a hall-of-fame professional athlete. His endorsement contracts would’ve outnumbered LeBron James and Peyton Manning’s, combined.
And yet all that potential landed Samson right where it lands so many others with phenomenal talent—disfigured and despairing, shackled in chains they have forged on the anvil of their egos.
I don’t have superhuman strength as Samson did, but I do have the potential for overinflated self-sufficiency. Anytime I think, “I can handle this by myself,” I’m taking the Samson-sanctioned path to trouble.
But on the day Samson died, he prayed, “O Sovereign LORD, remember me.” In humility, he acknowledged Jehovah alone was Ruler of all creation, including himself. When Samson said, “remember me,” he was asking for mercy: “Be mindful of the promises You made at my birth and who You designed me to be. Allow me to be Your instrument one last time.”
In his final prayer, however, we also detect a trace of his lifelong struggle with self. Samson asked for “revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes” rather than asking God to vindicate His honor by destroying His enemies. But God apparently perceived genuine repentance in Samson’s heart because He restored the champion’s strength and answered his prayer.
As Samson was, so are we all—flawed instruments, scarred by sin and marred by weaknesses. Yet when we cry out in humble repentance, God hears us. He loves us. And He can use us for His glory, no matter how blemished or broken we are.
Evangelist Cyrus Nusbaum wrote “His Way with Thee” over 100 years ago. If we are wise, we will learn from Samson’s mistakes and allow our Sovereign LORD to “have His way” with us:
His power can make you what you ought to be;
His blood can cleanse your heart and make you free;
His love can fill your soul, and you will see
’Twas best for Him to have His way with thee.
Will you allow God to have His way with you today?
About the Author:
Denise Kelso Loock is a former English teacher, Bible teacher, speaker, writer, and editor. Her work has appeared in a variety of well-known devotional publications. She is the founder and writer at http://digdeeperdevotions.com/.
A collection of Denise’s devotions, Open Your Hymnal: Devotions That Harmonize Scripture With Song, was released by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas in 2010. To read more about the book or to order it, click here. A second volume of hymn devotions, Open Your Hymnal Again, was released June 2012. To read more about it, click here:Open Your Hymnal Again.
Denise taught a weekly women’s Bible study at the Montgomery Evangelical Free Church in Belle Mead, NJ, for 15 years. Over the last 5 years, she developed and taught her own Bible study curriculum: The Life of Joseph, The Life of Moses, and The Life of Joshua, and the books of 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. Denise is currently teaching a Bible Study on Ruth at Long’s Chapel, in Waynesville, NC.
Denise is an associate editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She also accepts freelance editing projects. http://lighthousepublishingofthecarolinas.com/. She is also a staff writer and editor for a monthly online and print publication, The Journey C
She lives in Western North Carolina with her husband and their cat, Ginger. Son Jeff is a student at UNC Wilmington; daughter Kelsey is a student at Western Carolina University.
Norma, thank you for sharing one of my favorite people with us today. Denise, I wrestle the self-sufficiency giant too. Thank God for His mercy and grace.
You’re welcome, Nan! It’s a blessing to me to host her!