By Guest Writer
The account of Samson (Judges 13–16) has historically been told to me as a favorite Sunday-school story about a perceived hero. In actuality, it reads like a tragedy. I’ve found that many Bible characters are often painted this way—premature hopefuls for the promised Savior. These Bible characters were all shadows of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. The difference is, Jesus saves us for all eternity and does not have even a blemish of sin.
When I go to the text, Samson, like so many others, had major sins that would make any of us blush. Though God used him to save Israel, Samson’s path was colored with failure and foolishness. On many occasions, he acted more like a Philistine than the judge of the Israelites. Samson garnered supernatural strength from God, but Samson’s strength was limited, poised on the top of his head, and could be obliterated with a mere haircut. God doesn’t tend to use these means of strength for us in modern history, but He does still give us supernatural strength.
Our family recently walked through a difficult year, and it has me reflecting on how God’s strength shows up in our lives. Our little family of four sustained a seizure diagnosis, two miscarriages, postpartum anxiety, Lyme disease that cropped up while trying to refresh on a vacation, a week-long hospital stay after a routine outpatient procedure, and then an unexpected foot procedure that had me, the mom, hobbling around. The illusion of control breaks down after a year like this.
Does God show up for us in these types of moments? And if He does, how does He do it? Christians aren’t commanded to grow our hair to keep God’s strength inside us, but He does still give us tangible ways to experience His power. When the clock ticks down on another sleepless night and anxiety is boring holes in your hope, the Bible reminds us that He is stronger than the darkness threatening to consume us. Our hearts can find rest in the leading of the Holy Spirit. When the dawn breaks, we find comfort in the rich truth of God’s power. He uses the church to come alongside us: fellow Christians to pray for us, encourage us, bring us meals, to fill our needs. He empowers us to move through our circumstances with the help of our spiritual family.
So while we know Samson isn’t the hero of our story today (or any of the stories we’re reading), we can mirror the prayer Samson offered by saying, “Strengthen me, God.” He is faithful to bring you back to Himself and give you His strength.
Written by Kasey Moffett
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