April 7th | Judges 13
Help When You Need It
Do you have difficulty asking others for help? My wife is constantly frustrated with me because I rarely want to ask others to help me. Whether it is stopping to ask for directions, calling a friend to help with something around the house, or something else, I often say, “I think I can figure it out.” One of my big problems is pride. I think I can do everything, which usually leads to me being unable to accomplish anything.
If I am honest, in these moments, I look more like my kids when they were toddlers than a grown man. Toddlers begin walking, talking, and wanting to become independent. You offer to help them put on their shoes, get in the car, etc, and their response is, “I’m a big kid now, I can do it on my own!” Unfortunately, I must not have grown out of that phase of life!
You might not like to ask for help, but we need all the help we can get in our spiritual lives! I have found that the more I try to follow the Lord and pursue His mission on my own, the more I accomplish very little and, even worse, become frustrated in my Christian walk. In Judges 13, Samson’s birth is foretold to his mother by an angel. This child, Samson, is to be set apart as a Nazirite to God from the womb, and verse 5 says, “And he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” What an incredible statement! Samson’s mother was thrilled to hear this and immediately went and told her husband.
But after hearing this news, I can only imagine she thought, “How in the world am I going to raise such a child?” Doubt and fear started creeping in. Yet, unlike me, she did what we should all do in our Christian life: she cried out to the Lord for help! Judges 13:8 says,
“Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, 'O Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come again to us and teach us what we are to do with the child who will be born.’”
Do you see the simplicity of this prayer? “Lord, we don’t know what we’re doing and need your help!” How often in your spiritual life do you flounder and try this Bible study or that morning routine that is supposed to help you get closer to God, and all the while you fail and fall short? Instead of trying harder to do things in your strength, pray to God! In simple, humble faith, ask the Lord to teach you what you are to do! Look at the Lord’s response when Samson’s mother prayed this prayer. Judges 13:9 says,
“And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field.”
Not only did God hear her, but he came to meet her! She was out in the field, and God came to find her to instruct and teach her! What are you going through in this life? What troubles or difficulties are you facing? Stop trying to do it on your own. Humble yourself before God and cry out for help! Ask him to lead and teach you, and he will come!
And if you doubt that God will come through on this promise of help, consider what He has already done for you. Samson was a child set apart to save Israel. Years later, God would send an angel to a mother and pronounce that His son would be born to save the world. God has already come to save us by sending Jesus for us. So stop and ask Him for help today, and be confident that He will answer!
