Blessed With Children

#539 "Blessed With Children"
June 16, 2015
Judges 13-Part 3
And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.  Judges 13:24

LET IT GLOW

There is a 40 year old lady who is carrying her sixth child. She prepared their current home to be sold on the market. Then, she directed the packing to move to another home they purchased while homeschooling 4 of her 5 this year. (The youngest is 2, by the way.) Did I mention that she is a faithful wife? This superwoman is my daughter. I am so proud of her, her commitment to the Lord, and love for her family.

There is a guy who works part time at our tire shop. Not only that, he has a cattle farm in three places. Last week, he cut, baled, and hauled hay for the herd to eat this winter. To top it off, this last weekend the hard working guy took time to attend a family reunion, then went shopping with his wife and daughter. They are involved in church, too. This superman is my son. I am so proud of him and his love for the Lord and others.

Yes, I am so very blessed with wonderful children and know it! Many parents worry about their children and deal with the problems that result. If you are one, read Proverbs 3:5-6 for encouragement.

Shall we look at the last two verses of this chapter?
Jesus appeared twice to a woman, informing her that she would have a son, her dietary restrictions and the boy's Nazarite vow by which to live. He would deliver Israel from the Philistines. Her husband, Manoah, spoke with the Lord, offered a burnt offering. The Lord said His name was Secret, which means wonderful. Jesus did something wonderously-He ascended in the flame of the fire.

The miraculous disappearance of the angel caused Mannoah to realize miraculous disappearance of the angel cause Manoah to realize who He was. (Falwell)

Manoah was afraid they would die because they had seen God. Then his wife reasoned, if that were so, why would He have accepted the offering and revealed such things for their future.

Time passed. This chosen woman, though barren at the time of the encounter, became pregnant and gave birth to a son. The couple named the baby Samson, meaning sun.

God keeps His promises.
Are we trusting Him?

LET IT GROW

Years went by and...

• The child, Samson grew, and the Lord blessed him. (verse 24)
• The Spirit of the began to move upon Samson. (verse 25)

Samson's birth and early childhood are clearly stated to have been blessed of the Lord. Thus, God is involved from the very beginning of his life in the exploits that will follow, and apparently even during his youth the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times. Like other judges, he received this charismatic anointing for the task to which he was called. In Samson's case this meant spectacular human strength to wage a one-man campaign against the Philistines. (Liberty Bible Commentary)

Isn't it incredible that Israel's strongest man came from her weakest tribe. Doesn't God have a sense of humor?

Are we willing to follow and obey what God has for us to do? To let go of our plans to do His?

LET IT GO

                                 ... of my plans to follow God's plans.
                                 ... of my fears and trust Him.
                                 ... of my weaknesses and turn to His strength.