O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
Judges 16:28
I imagine there is never more of a self-centered approach to our faith in God than when we pray. I realize that sounds like a strong statement, but it is mostly true. Think about the prayers you pray. What is the main focus? Who is the main focus? This morning, I want to briefly look at a judge God put in place to make a significant difference in Israel. But at the end of his tumultuous life, his last prayer was so amazingly self-centered, and it seems that he learned nothing from the difficulties in his life. His name is Samson.
Desperate Prayers Should Honor God’s Character
Samson was in trouble. He lived a troubled life and violated the Nazarite vow his parents made on his behalf, which placed several constraints on his life as an outward example of His commitment and love for God. However, Samson’s life was a slippery slope away from this commitment, even though he lied about being a Nazarite from birth (Judges 16:17).
Samson now finds himself with his eyes gouged out, blind, and being led around by a simple child because he could not see. He was in a sad situation and prayed to God out of that desperation. Let’s see how he honored God with his prayer.
Well, that’s going to be difficult because there wasn’t much honoring. Samson’s desperate prayer was centered on how God could help him in his current situation. He said, “O Lord God, please remember me, and please strengthen me just this time” (Judges 16:28a). He understood God could help him, but we hear the hopelessness and pain in his voice in that simple introduction. I believe Samson understood that only God could help him but never gave God the credit He deserved.
Do we spend time praising God when we pray, or do we ask, and ask, and ask for things? God’s character deserves our praise. When we realize God’s character, we cannot escape His over-arching purpose.
Desperate Prayers Should Honor God’s Purpose
In this story, we see Samson in a helpless situation. His desperate prayer had nothing to do with God’s purpose but was centered on how Samson could get back at the Philistines for what they did to him and how they gouged his eyes out. As you read it, notice the personal pronouns like “I” and “me.” This prayer was totally self-centered and focused on Samson avenging the Philistines.
Before we become too self-righteous, ask yourself if you’ve ever prayed those kinds of prayers. “Oh God, please do this or that to someone because of how they hurt me.” I believe if we are honest, we might find ourselves in the same place Samson did. But, Judges 14:4 stated God’s higher purpose in destroying the Philistines. This information was the beginning of the story of Samson. We should always seek to honor God’s purpose even when we pray desperate prayers.
Regardless of your situation, when you seek God’s purpose in your life and for this world, pray desperate prayers that submit to God’s purposes. Rest in His care for you in every situation. Make today a day that you change the way you pray.
I want to encourage you to read the story of Samson differently today. It is found in Judges 13-16. It won’t take you long but read it with a perspective that Samson is quickly spiraling out of control, but in the end, God’s purpose still prevailed (Proverbs 19:21).