Leaning On God’s Strength
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Judges 16:1-31 and Psalm 37:20-40 (NIV)
(Woo Sook Yee, Small Group Zone 10A Core Team)
READ:
Judges 16:1-31 and Psalm 37:20-40 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
In Judges 16, the story of Samson, the strongman, is a familiar one. He was persistently pestered by Delilah, the woman whom he fell in love with, for the secret to his immense physical strength which God had given him. Unfortunately, he eventually gave in and shared the secret with her. That led to his downfall.
Psalm 37:20-40 contrasted the rewards that God has in store for the righteous with the ultimate destruction of the wicked ones.
For me, the connection between Judges 16 and Psalm 37:20-40 is the perishing of the wicked. The evil “lords of the Philistines” who hounded Samson met a crushing death in the end.
APPLY:
A parallel I drew from the Samson story to our contemporary world is scamming. Scamming is so prevalent now that I have to be vigilant and on my toes constantly. There are job scams, love scams, imposter scams, charity fraud scams, etc. I’m most wary of shopping scams. No matter how ingenious the tricks are, I am determined not to let my guard down.
However, it is easier said than done. It is very easy to fall for a good bargain. Like strongman Samson, I would be foolish to think I would not easily lose “my strength” one day.
DO:
People of various demographics, intellect, IT savviness, etc, have been scammed. I cannot act like a smart-aleck thinking I am the exception and it will not happen to me.
I pray to God to rely on His wisdom and strength to keep me vigilant and keep the scammers at bay.
PRAY:
May the Holy Spirit strengthen me so that I would not fall easily to greed and fear which are the main emotional triggers that scammers use for manipulation.
I ask God to give me a humble spirit to lean on Him and His strength always. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
