27 Word Prayer

Day two hundred eighteen

My prayer this morning was dedicated to those in my life that are in need of comfort. I am not sure why, but there is an increased need for love, comfort and peace in the lives of those around me.  They have some serious struggles they are fighting with and it breaks my heart to know that they are hurting.  I am not personally able to 'fix' their problems, but I know that the Lord can do anything, so I turn to Him.  I asked Him to help those that are not feeling His love to have their eyes and hearts opened that they might recognize Him in their lives.  I also asked Him to be with me, that I might be an instrument in His hands to provide the help I can for them.  Please Lord take them by the hand and lead them through these tough times.

Judges 15:18-20

Samson is a little different from the rest of the judges. Most of the judges lived by faith and were obedient to the will of God. Samson, however, lived most of his life not by faith; he lived in the power of his flesh. Samson spent most of his life trying to please Samson. 

Physically, Samson was the most powerful and imposing of all the Judges. Spiritually, he was the weakest. Most of his exploits revolve around him seeking revenge against those who have offended him. Most of his exploits arise out of his sinful desires for forbidden women. More scripture is devoted to Samson than to nearly any other Judge, but that Scripture reveals a man who is not to be emulated.  

Samson is a man whose life is filled with contradictions. Yet, the lessons we learn from the life of Samson teach us that the greatest enemy we have is self. If we can learn to conquer self, we can walk in this life with spiritual power.

In these verses we see Samson at his finest hour. Samson’s star never climbed higher, nor did his light shine brighter than it does in these three short verses. In a moment of great desperation he casts himself on the Lord by faith. Samson is never stronger than he was during this moment of extreme weakness. On the heels of a great victory, Samson finds himself in a desperate situation. He turns to God and finds not only help for the moment; he also finds hope for his future. 

In that moment of great weakness, Samson does the smartest thing he has done in his life to this point: he calls upon God. In this short, 27-word prayer, Samson speaks volumes. He speaks volumes about himself and about his God. What can we learn from Samson's prayer?

It was a cry of Humility – This prayer that poured from the lips of Samson is vastly different from the statement he made in verse 16. In that verse, Samson demonstrated that he had “I” trouble. In verse 16 Samson quotes a poem and his own greatness. Samson gives no glory to God, but he claims all the glory for the victory for himself. Samson failed to remember that verse 14 says, “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him".

Now, Samson has been brought to the end of his abilities. He humbles himself before God and acknowledges his utter dependence upon the Lord. Samson knows that unless God intervenes, he will die. This is no longer a matter of personal glory; it is a matter of survival.

It was a cry of Honor – Not only did Samson humble himself and look to God to have his needs met, he also took the time to exalt God in his prayer. There are three ways that Samson honored the Lord when he prayed.

He Acknowledged God's Power – Samson gives all the glory for the victory to God. He says, “thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant”. Samson acknowledges the fact that it may have been his hand that held the jawbone of the donkey, but it was God’s power that gave the victory.

He Acknowledged God's Person – Not only does Samson praise God for His power, he also acknowledges God’s person. Samson calls himself “thy servant”. With this statement, Samson appears ready to acknowledge God as his Master. This is why I think this might be Samson’s finest hour, because he finally got the priorities of his relationship with the Lord in the right order. Up until this time Samson has been the master and God got only the leftovers of a wasted life. Now, Samson appears ready to bow to the authority of God.

He Acknowledges God's Preeminence – Samson is worried that he might die, and “fall into the hands of the uncircumcised”. It may be that he is concerned that if he dies in this manner, the Philistines will take his body and use his death as a way to dishonor God. Knowing the traditions of the times, this was a strong possibility. So, Samson prays that God will spare him so that God may not be dishonored. At this single moment in time, Samson’s focus does not appear to be himself, but it appears to be the glory of God.  This is something new for Samson.

God hears Samson's prayer and saves him.  After these events, Samson appears to change his ways. We are told “he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years”. We have no record of what Samson did during those 20 years. It's too bad, it would have been nice to see the other side of Samson during this time.

Samson made a lot of mistakes in his life, but when he humbled himself and submitted to the will of God, he achieved victory in his life. What did I take away from this scripture study? I am reminded that I can be very stubborn at times too. I can want to go my own way, instead of going God’s way. If I am not careful, I can be a lot like Samson before this prayer.  I need to work on my humility.  I need to honor God in my life.  I need to submit to God's will.  I need to remember the lessons and power found in a prayer of 27 words to change a man's heart. I need to remember that my weakest times can turn out to be some of my strongest spiritual moments, if I let them!