Everyone has something that makes them unhappy. Following Jesus does not guarantee that everything will go our way. So, whatever you are going through, you might want to smile and hold your head up because it just might be that God planned it that way.
The story of Samson is one of the most remarkable and memorable stories in the Bible. Samson was known for his superhuman strength and his love affair with Delilah, the woman who betrayed him. Samson was a very defiant man. Because he had extraordinary strength, he wanted everything to go his way. When things didn’t go according to his plans, Samson was not afraid to let everyone know.
Samson went down to Timnah, where he saw a Philistine woman that he just had to have. It was love at first sight. Samson told his parents to get this woman for him because he wanted to marry her. God forbade an Israelite to marry a foreigner, and Samson’s parents did not approve of him marrying a Philistine woman. But he insisted that his parents get this Philistine woman to be his bride. As I read the story of Samson, this verse got my attention:
“But his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord — that He was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines. For the Philistines had dominion over Israel.” (Judges 14:4)
Samson let his eyes and his hormones drive him. He fell in love with something that God did not want him to have. Like Samson, we fall in love with things that God does not want us to have, like drugs and alcohol. But could it be that God is at the center of the very things that we try to resist?
Samson wanted everything to go his way. But he did not know that God planned it that way. At the end of his life, all of the rebellious and foolish things that Samson did, worked out for his good. Why? Because God planned it that way. God was seeking an opportunity to move against the Philistine god, Dagon. Samson was the vessel that God used to destroy Dagon.
Friends, God does not want us to be addicted to drugs and alcohol, however, if we choose to do drugs or alcohol He can use our addictions to make the way of escape for us (1 Corinthians 10:13). And when God delivers us, He uses our testimonies of deliverance to tear down strongholds in our lives (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
So it happened that when the temple in which the Philistines worshiped their god Dagon was full of worshiping Philistine leaders, they called for Samson to perform for them. They planned to humiliate Samson.
“Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, ‘O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!’” (Judges 16:28)
When Samson prayed, God honored his request and returned his strength. Samson pushed on the main support columns of the temple and it fell on all the Philistines who were in it. So the dead that Samson killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.
Although Samson was strong, he was weak for the things of this world. He allowed his weakness for a woman to lead him down a path that would have destroyed him. Except that God chose him from birth to destroy the Philistines and their god Dagon. Though Samson was weak, God made him strong so that he would complete his purpose.
The Bible says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (James 1:13-14). God is in control even when we think we are. So, whatever you are going through, I encourage you, to know that if you love God, it doesn’t matter trust God, and it will work out for your good (Romans 8:28).
If there is something in your life that you are unhappy with, don’t be too anxious to do away with it, because it just might be that God planned it that way. After all, we exist to serve God’s purpose (Romans 9:20-21) and not our own. You see God uses the weak things of the world to put to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27).
Perhaps God has chosen you to do great things for Him but you have allowed your love for something other than God to lead you down the wrong path. Even though your life looks dim, don’t give up. Pray that God would strengthen you, and watch Him work a miracle in your life.