I’ll be back to my normal  schedule on Monday. For now, here’s another offering from my old blog archives.

“The Spring of Him who Called“

עֵין הַקּוֹרֵא

En-hakkore
(from Judges 15:19)

 And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore the name of it was called En-hakkore; it is at Lehi to this day.

Samson is not a flawless hero. Except for Jesus, no heroes are. But God put all those stories of flawed heroes in the Bible for a reason:

4  For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

(Romans 15:4, NASB)

Reading the book of Judges, a soul can get more than its fill of flawed heroes. But they were useful sinners that, God, because He is God, used to accomplish mighty things in difficult circumstances.

I don’t know about you but there are days when I see my flaws with such crystal clarity that like Isaiah, I just want to cry out, “woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips,” (Is. 6) or like Peter, “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.” (Luke 5)

On those days, when past failures and present short-comings collide and new criticisms join with my own self-flagellations—on those days, when I cry out to God for help with a fervor unmatched when things are going well—on those days … God answers.

Like Samson, I need a “spring of remembrance“ to the faithfulness of God. Like Samson, that incredibly flawed hero of Scripture, I need God to supply what I so desperately need. And today the spring was Judges 15.

Samson is willful and violent and even a little bit whinny. And yet, he calls out to God for rescue and God answered.

The Spirit whispers, “These words I recorded for your hope.

Read.
Be nourished.
Persevere.
Be instructed.
I am not finished with you.”

So if you’re like me, join me in prayer:

“I yield Lord, I am yours,
help me to accomplish all that you call me to
in ways that honor you. Amen”