Don't Be Afraid

Cumberland Falls-9:30 a.m.

I'm outside now on the balcony reading the Bible. In the 14th chapter of Judges is the story of Samson. Samson's mother and father asked God's angel to teach them how to raise Samson. Evidently either the angel didn't tell them, the parents didn't listen, or they just ignored it. Samson wants to marry the Philistine girl he had seen. He comes back to his parents and demands, "get her for me as my wife." His parents didn't agree and wanted one of their own people to be his wife. So they asked Samson if he couldn't find one at home. He demanded again: "Get her for me. She's the one I want--she's right for me." We can see how Samson was incredibly spoiled and he controlled the family. But the part that struck me is in the parenthesis: "His father and mother had no idea that God was behind this, that he was arranging an opportunity against the Philistines." This is really, really important for me. I see only what I know. I most often don't see the big picture of God in my life. What appears, based on what I know and see to be bad and distasteful, may be God's working for a larger, greater purpose. I guess that's where faith and pure trust come in.