The Lord Had Departed
One of the worst things that can happen to us, as believers, is to find ourselves in a very difficult life situation, and to realize the Lord had departed from us, so that we did not have his power available to deliver us. Yes, it can and does happen, just like it happened to Samson. (Judges 16:20) I believe we can learn from Samson's life, so this will never happen to us.
God was with Samson to give him great strength and power to defend himself, because he kept his Nazarite vows from his birth. However, when he told Delilah that cutting his hair would take his strength, she sold him to his enemies by cutting his hair while he slept. Then, the Lord departed because of Samson's disobedience. It was not that he was no longer a child of God. We see that because God gave him power again at the end of his life. The problem is that sin broke his relationship with God, so that the Lord departed from having close fellowship with him and blessing him in a special way, until he humbly prayed for God to restore him.
If we break our covenant relationship with God by failing to obey His commands and failing to lovingly walk with Him each day, we find ourselves without God, too. It is not so much that He left us, but we left Him. We went our own way, and God always goes His way. When we follow Him, He is close to us. When we go our way, He is far from us, and we suffer the lack of His direction and power. If you find yourself powerless, and you do not know what to do next, submit to the Lord, confess your sins, and humbly commit to follow Him. Then, the power will return, if you are a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 17-19.
God was with Samson to give him great strength and power to defend himself, because he kept his Nazarite vows from his birth. However, when he told Delilah that cutting his hair would take his strength, she sold him to his enemies by cutting his hair while he slept. Then, the Lord departed because of Samson's disobedience. It was not that he was no longer a child of God. We see that because God gave him power again at the end of his life. The problem is that sin broke his relationship with God, so that the Lord departed from having close fellowship with him and blessing him in a special way, until he humbly prayed for God to restore him.
If we break our covenant relationship with God by failing to obey His commands and failing to lovingly walk with Him each day, we find ourselves without God, too. It is not so much that He left us, but we left Him. We went our own way, and God always goes His way. When we follow Him, He is close to us. When we go our way, He is far from us, and we suffer the lack of His direction and power. If you find yourself powerless, and you do not know what to do next, submit to the Lord, confess your sins, and humbly commit to follow Him. Then, the power will return, if you are a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 17-19.