11 March | EVERYONE
«Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.’» Judges 13:2, 3
The people of Israel cried out in the midst of oppression, and God heard the cry of His children and decided to send them a deliverer. That was the reason for Samson’s birth. Hence the angel announced to Manoah’s wife that she would have a son even though she was barren.
Samson was born from a barren woman. God broke the laws of physics. The young Israelite was a divine miracle. The son of Manoah became a strong man, able to kill a lion as if it were a goat, to defeat many men with only the jaw of a donkey, and to tear off the gates of a city and carry them for many miles. A man so strong that there was no rope to hold him down.
However, his strength was not the result of a fitness preparation program. He was powerful because God had given him that gift. “God’s providential care had been over Samson, that he might be prepared to accomplish the work which he was called to do” (Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home, p. 460). The Lord always bestows gifts upon His children. He gives them away, for free, because He has plans for them and missions to assign to them.
Samson, unfortunately, did not understand that he had come into the world to be an instrument in God’s hands. He was conscious of his gift, but not of his purpose, and he squandered his strength, pandering to his own interests.
No one comes into the world without a purpose. You are not the fruit of a simple human action. You came to life as a divine miracle and on a mission. May the Lord help you to place yourself in His hands each day to fulfill His mission and purpose for you.
Take Action
As you meditate on the gifts or talents God has given you, ask yourself if you live up to God’s plans and dreams for your life. You can talk about it with people close to you (family, friends, etc.) so that they can help you see where you need to improve.