Asleep on Delilah's Lap

After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him.

Judges 16:19

When the Philistines realized that they could not defeat Samson by military force, they tried a different tact. Instead of attacking Samson head on, they seduced him. He had fallen in love with a Philistine woman from the Valley of Sorek named Delilah. So, the Philistine lords offered her a great sum of money to find out the secret of Samson's strength so they could overpower him. 

It turned out that Samson was strong but not wise. The man who was impervious to soldiers and to lions was only too foolish and vulnerable before this beautiful woman. In the end, Samson told his worst enemy exactly how to defeat him, then laid his head on her lap and fell asleep. All along the Philistines had been hiding in the shadows, plotting against Samson and waiting for their moment to strike. It was only once that great lion of a man had been turned into a lapdog by Delilah that they came out of the shadows and attacked him directly. 

It seems to me that the church in America is very much like Samson sleeping on Delilah's lap. We have not been subject to overt attacks and persecution like many of our brothers and sisters around the world, but our enemy has been hard at work trying to seduce us. Everyday you are bombarded with an intentional, strategic campaign to deceive and seduce you away from God and toward worldliness. It's in the TV shows and movies you watch, the music you listen to, the news sites you follow on the internet, and the social media posts and marketing campaigns you drink in everywhere we go. You are surrounded by temptation to sin and by crafty lies designed to make you doubt truth and reject God and His way. 

Yes, I fear that we have fallen asleep on Delilah's lap, and that at any moment our enemy could step out of the shadows and attack. So, I say to you what I would say to Samson. Wake up! And save yourself before it is too late! Open your eyes to the lies and temptation and seduction all around you. Get your head off of Delilah's lap, and arm yourself for the enemy is upon you and attack is imminent. 

What Great Love

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

I John 3:1

How great is this love?! It is something to be marveled and wondered at that an immortal, infinite, perfect and holy God would choose to love us! It’s like a child choosing to love a blade of grass or a jar of dirt. What is there in us that could make God love us? Nothing! That is why this verse says God has ‘lavished’ His love on us. That word for ‘lavished’ can also be translated ‘given’ or ‘bestowed.’ It’s a gift! There is nothing in me that would draw God’s heart towards me. There is plenty in me to draw His wrath but not His love. I am unworthy of that. I am a child of God by grace.

John 1:12 puts it this way, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” If you have become a Christian, then God has adopted you as His own child. He didn’t have to do that. He could have saved you and taken you to Heaven as His servant. But no! He takes you as His child. This is a great privilege you have been given. The God of the universe has adopted you and called you His own!

One privilege of being a child of God is that you can trust that He will never abandon you. Perhaps you know what it means to be abandoned by a spouse or a parent. Abandonment scars us deeply and causes us to doubt people. If you can’t trust your mother or father or your own spouse, then who can you trust? God. You can trust God. Psalm 27:10 says, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” And Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” No matter what, if you are a believer then God is your Father forever. He will never let you go, and no one can take you out of His hand (John 10:28).

What great love the Father has lavished on us!

Prayer at the Crossroads

Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Luke 5:15-16

As I look back over my life, I realize that at many of the major crossroads God used prayer to guide me and reveal His will for me. It was through prayer that God called me to ministry. It was through prayer that He led me to my wife. And it was through prayer that God led me to each of the three churches I’ve served. And what I realized this week is that we see the same thing in Jesus’ life. At every major crossroads, at every turning point, we find Him praying. 

It was when Jesus was praying at His baptism that heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him and anointed Him for ministry (Luke 3:21-22). This was Jesus’ ordination, the birth of His ministry. And what was He doing when it all began? He was praying.

Then as Jesus became more popular, and the demands on Him grew, what did He do? He didn’t spend more time crafting His sermons or going fishing to get a little R&R. No! Luke 5:15-16 says "He often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." That time alone, speaking to God was a lifeline for Jesus. It no doubt recharged and refilled Him so He could continue pouring Himself out in ministry day after day after day.

Later, when the time came for Jesus to select 12 men to designate as apostles, how did Jesus go about making this big decision? Luke 6:12-13 tells us that He prayed the entire night! Then, at His transfiguration Jesus revealed to a few of these twelve apostles who He really was. And wouldn’t you know it, Jesus was praying when He was transfigured! (Luke 9:28-29) He was praying when His divine glory broke through.

And what about that last major event in Jesus’ life? His death. How did Jesus prepare Himself for all that He would suffer? He prayed! We often ask people how they would spend their final moments if they knew they were going to die. Jesus chose to spend His last free moments, praying…seeking God’s guidance and strength for what lay ahead (Luke 22:39-41).

So, make prayer a regular habit in your life. If you aren't sure how to pray, use the Lord’s Prayer or one of David’s prayers in the Psalms to get you started. Pray their prayers until you feel comfortable praying your own. In time you’ll see that praying isn’t difficult. It’s just talking to God: thanking Him, praising Him, confessing your sins, and bringing your needs to Him. Prayer isn’t difficult, but prayer is important, especially when you’re at a crossroads. In those moments especially, you should pray and ask for God’s direction.