Allow A Deep Repentance In Our Hearts

Judges 16:27-28 - Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform.  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.” 

Sampson’s failure to keep the secret of his strength to himself had cost him much. They had taken his eyesight in a horrific way…gauging out both eyes when he was first captured.  He was no longer free… forced to do heavy labor in heavy bronze shackles. The Philistine’s would have succeeded in keeping him captive much longer if they had not let themselves get so caught up in their success.  The party they had …praising the god they worshiped… rejoicing over his capture… gathered thousands of the people into the temple they used for worshiping dagan.

There was another element to their downfall that no one but Sampson knew. He knew his God was stronger than dagan.  His repentant attitude…allowed him to see the need to call out to him for one last surge of strength. The strength he had lost in shaving his head… began a new search in prayer. His self-seeking goals of pleasure and happiness became goals of holy zeal to give glory to the one God that controlled all things. I love the way Matthew Henry put it.  He said… “His afflictions brought him to deep repentance.  His physical weakness allowed God to renew his spirit.  Such is the heart of every true Christian… becoming more humble…watchful… circumspect… more simple in their dependence on God.

I am watching this basic principle of God work in my community as we begin to assess the deep losses of the wildfires that God allowed to ravage our Smokey Mountains last week.  The loss of material things…the loss of life…the visual devastation that one sees as they trek into the worst hit areas bring a empathy…a sense of deep humility to the true Christians heart. It put the most important things back in the proper order … causing us to cry out to God for comfort…for provision…for strength just as Sampson did.

It is my prayer that many who never knew the one true God…Emanuel….the Prince Of Peace…the Jesus who came to Earth as a baby to die on a cross for our sins…would learn of his power to save us from the certain death we deserve. It is also my prayer that God would use every tiny bit of sadness and destruction to his glory…especially in transforming the lukewarm Christians of my town into ones more dependent on him.

Father…thank you for the reminder that my power…my hope…my strength is in you.  Forgive me for the times that I have let the world detract me from your pure will for my life.  Allow the empathy I feel for the people of my town to cause a deep repentance in my heart.  Allow a humility in my heart that fuels anew the flame of service and generates a deep passion to draw closer to you than ever… so you can use me to do your perfect will. Amen.