Chapter 9 Theme: A Prayer for Remembrance Focus on: Samson Reading Portion(s): Judges 16 - Important Background Information - Helps you find strength in God What this article teaches you It is never too late to pray. The thief on the cross made a last-minute SOS (Save Our Souls) prayer and found salvation and peace with God. Likewise when we have lost all hope there is still one last cry that can move the heart of God. That prayer is to ask God to remember you once more; to remember you for one last time. God hears that prayer. He hears because that cry comes from a repentant heart. He answers because that cry is one of desperation and hope mixed together. It is a prayer that one can pray when one has sinned and moved away from God. You can still pray because the grace of God is even now present in your life in spite of your sinning against God. That grace of God is enough to make God hear your prayer. He will come to your aid swiftly. Cry out to God, ``Remember me,'' and find peace with God now! Samson was separated unto God even from his birth. He was a Nazirite. When he grew God blessed him. God had already promised to begin the deliverance of the Israelites from the hand of the Philistines through Samson. The Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan. On various occasions when there was great need the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson in power. Thus he was enabled to gain great victories especially over the Philistines. Samson led Israel for twenty years. Towards the end of this period he fell in love with a woman called Delilah. The Philistines found this an opportunity to destroy Samson. They approached Delilah and offered her monetary rewards if she could find out for them the secret of Samson's great strength. She was asked to lure him into showing her the secret of his great strength. Now Delilah tried one method after the other to find out the secret of Samson's strength. Three times she tried and three times he fooled her. All this happened when the Philistines remained hiding in their room. Then Delilah began to nag him day after day. She told him that he did not love her as he said because he had not told her the secret of his strength. The Bible says that because of this nagging Samson was tired to death. Then he told her everything. He told her that he was a Nazirite set apart to God from birth and no razor had ever been used on his head. He added that if his head were shaved his strength would leave him and he will become weak as any other man. Samson's hair was shaved off because he became tired to death by the nagging words of Delilah. His strength was thus gone. This time when Delilah called out to Samson that the Philistines were upon him he awoke from sleep and thought to overpower them as at other times. But he did not know that the Lord had left him. He was captured and he was made blind and made to do grinding in the prison. What a great tragedy! Samson's life was one of great promise. Yet he was overcome by the constant temptation which tired him down. And it seemed as if his life had ended in great tragedy. But God's dealings with Samson was not over. The Bible records that his hair began to grow again after it had been shaved. This tells us of God's amazing grace that is shown to us even when we fall by making huge mistakes. It tells us that we are not forgotten by God even in the hour of our defeat. Now the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate. This was because they thought that their god had delivered Samson into their hands. Now when they were in high spirits they shouted to bring Samson out of the prison to perform for them. When Samson came he said to the servant who held his hand to guide his hands to the pillars that supported the temple. And then he prayed a touching prayer. He asked God to remember him and strengthen him just once more. This was a heart-rending cry. He wanted God to strengthen him just once more! And God heard this cry. Then Samson pushed the pillars and it came crashing down on the whole crowd. And the Bible records that Samson killed many more when he died than when he lived. Thus he had a victorious end. We too can come back to God with a pleading heart. We can ask God to remember us. We may have sinned and lost our strength. Yet it is never too late to cry out to God. And God shall surely hear that cry of ``Strengthen me just once more!'' << Previous | Next >>

A Christmas Journey  Read Today's Manna Prayer If This is Prayer, I Will Pray Prayer Life of Jesus Christ Why Prayers Go Unanswered? Pathways of Prayer Foreword Introduction Index Assurance in Prayer A Prayer for Mercy during a Crisis Prayer Brings Revival Sin Blocks Prayer A Prayer for Spiritual Vision A Prayer in Amazement Quiet Waiting in Prayer A Prayer for Instruction A Prayer for Remembrance A Prayer of Intercession A Prayer when Afraid A Rebellious Prayer Upholding Others in Prayer Reliance on God in Prayer The Habit of Prayer Confession and Worship in Public Prayer Utter Unselfishness in Prayer Conditional Answer to Prayer A Prayer for Confirmation A Prayer of Disbelief Resistance to Prayer Focus on God in Prayer Disobedience to God's Will Revealed through Prayer Pride following Miraculous Answer to Prayer There is a Time to Stop Praying Averting God's Judgment through Prayer Confidence in God in Prayer Immediate Answer to Prayer A Rejected Prayer A Prayer of Repentance Mourning in Prayer Claiming God's Promise Specifically in Prayer A Prayer for Fruitfulness Learning to Pray Praise and Thanksgiving in Prayer A Prayer for God's Blessing Acting Deceitfully to Seek Relief through Prayer Setting Things Right for Prayer to be Answered A Prayer to Uphold Right Motives A Prayer to Uphold God's Honor Action and Prayer go Hand in Hand Faith Operating in Prayer Persistence in Prayer The Prayer of Discouragement The Prayer for Replenishment A Prayer when Friends Become Enemies

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