…from John 11 on the death and raising of Lazarus…

“Now Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.’”

“Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time, there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?’”

So often in life we turn to logical courses and reason;
but now’s an opportune time—in fact, in any season,
to trust the good Lord for help that’s supernatural,
instead of leaning so heavily on mainly the factual.

In the Biblical story of Martha’s brother, Lazarus, who had died,
she seemed to sense that her brother’s death could still be defied.
Yet, when the Lord said that someone should open the cave tomb door,
she reasoned about the time that had passed and other facts in store.

“By this time” became Martha’s very predominant thought,
instead of remembering the miracles that Jesus had already wrought.
Likewise, in a crisis, we know that God can come through still;
but let’s be assured that healing and restoration are always His will.

P. A. Oltrogge

Postscript:

It’s sometimes thought that miracles are few and far between;
but, whether instant or more gradual, they’re frequently being seen.

“Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.’ Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.’” John 11:41-44 NKJV

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5 NKJV

And Mark 11:23-26

This week, Andrew Wommack, http://www.awmi.net, continues his series on “God Wants You Well.” Archived previous messages are also available at the site, as well as testimonies that encourage.

In other matters in our lives, too, we might tend to consider only natural facts, but remember, “Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.'” Mark 9:23

“And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.”
Hebrews 11:32-34 NASB

I thought about the Bible’s Samson, and what one could basically say,

regarding his life and mission in a poetic way…

His future parents were visited by the angel of the Lord, who foretold his birth,

saying that Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines would begin through him, a Nazirite of worth.

As foretold, he was born and blessed of the Lord, and then we also read…

of the Spirit of God coming upon him at times, with the mighty strength that he would need.

An early event recorded is his favoring of a certain Philistine woman to be his wife…

though his parents tried to dissuade him, saying one of their own people could better bless his life.

But he still wanted her to become his wife and moved ahead for that to take place.

The Lord was seeking an occasion to move against the Philistines, for their dominion over Israel was the case.

Killing a young lion with his bare hands, throwing a wedding feast at which a riddle was told—

then came a clash with the Philistines after the riddle was “solved.” Through Samson, their defeat was beginning to unfold.

Deprived of his bride, he caught three hundred foxes, by which he set fire to the Philistines’ vineyards, groves, and grain.

At that, they retaliated, causing her death, at which Samson fought them again, making his readiness to confront them even more plain.

The Philistines encamped in Judah, then. To prevent attack, three thousand of Judah’s men went out with new ropes to have him bound…

and hand him over to the Philistines. Samson allowed them to bind him but broke free, killing a thousand Philistines in just one round.

He commended himself for the triumph, “With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps…I have slain a thousand men.”

But he was overcome at the end of the conquest with extreme thirst then…

So he cried out to the Lord for water, saying, “YOU have given this great deliverance by the hand of your servant…”

He continued, asking God if He was going to let him die without needed water—his plea being fervent.

Out of a hollow place came a spring—the requested water that God provided.

In looking to the Lord, strength was restored; his thirst was quenched and his distress subsided.

And the strength that was given to him by God far surpassed the normal for lifting any heavy weight.

From Gaza to the top of the mountain opposite Hebron, he uprooted and carried on his shoulders, one night, the doors of the Gaza city gate.

He judged Israel for a span of twenty years, according to Judges 15 and 16;

but despite having had strength to have killed a lion, weakness in his personal life was seen.

Most often remembered about Samson’s life is that of Delilah’s snare,

where he told her the secret of his strength, which was in a Nazirite’s vow to keep his uncut hair.

Several times she had inquired, hoping to set a trap, yet Samson had always broken free.

But, in the last case, the Lord departed from him. He was caught—his eyes were put out, and he could no longer see.

He fervently called upon God when he was mocked by his enemies and bound.

And, in a final act, he slew three thousand Philistines—God restored his strength that had been renowned.

One lesson from his life which could be stated is that we shouldn’t be distracted…

from consecration to God—so that, in these times, by living for Him, others will be spiritually impacted.

Surely, Samson knew of the calling on his life from God and that he was to be mindful of His help throughout his days.

God used him mightily, as had been prophesied, for deliverance from the Philistines in an initial phase.

So, grant us a surge of inner strength, Lord, at those times we feel we’ve failed…

for you offer forgiveness and redemption to all, for whom to the cross you were nailed.

P. A. Oltrogge

from Judges, chapters 13-16

Visit http://www.faithschool.org for detailed teaching by Keith Moore on the life of Samson and why he is listed in Hebrews 11. In this series from “Faith School,” he explains that Samson had faith in the anointing of God to come upon him and that, likewise, our faith is a factor in the manifestation of the anointing coming upon our lives.

…the following are some additional thoughts to contemplate…

Though he was an imperfect man, it’s been said that Samson’s life, in some ways, pointed to the greatest deliverer (at that time, yet to come) Jesus Christ. Some of these parallels were:

Parents of both had divine visitations, foretelling the birth of a son. Both sons were to be consecrated to God for life.

Samson’s mother had been barren. Mary, Jesus’ mother, was a virgin, so for both, the births of their sons were divine interventions.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson for strength to do battle and strength to even kill a lion with his bare hands (Judges 14:6). Likewise, Jesus defeated the enemy, Satan, with no man-made weapons, but the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him.

“So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.” Judges 13:24-25 NKJV

“…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38 NKJV

As Samson uprooted and carried the doors of the city gate to the top of a high place, so Jesus carried the cross to Calvary’s hill, establishing and being the gate to heaven through His finished work on the cross.

Samson was handed over, at one point, to the Philistines by his own people. Jesus was delivered to His enemies by one of His own, a disciple. Samson broke free from the new ropes. Jesus broke out of a new, garden tomb, being raised from the dead.

Samson was blinded and mocked by his enemies. Jesus was blindfolded and mocked by His enemies. (Luke 22:64)

Samson’s arms were outstretched between pillars to destroy Israel’s enemies in his death, while Jesus’ arms were outstretched on the cross in His dying, to pull down and defeat the devil and death itself.

Jesus told His disciples to go ahead of Him to the other side of the sea.

He had sent the crowds away and, for a time of prayer, He needed to be free.

When Jesus came walking upon the water in the fourth watch of the night,

the disciples, in their boat, thought they were seeing a ghost and cried out in fright.

They had already been disturbed that night, having been battered by waves—

the wind was contrary. Here, we’ll see another instance where “Jesus saves!”

Jesus told them to take courage—that it was Him and that there was nothing to fear.

Some translations of this account say that He told them to be of good cheer!

Having witnessed the Lord’s miracles, Peter wanted to be a disciple of faith, as Jesus had taught,

and join the Lord on the water. Stepping out of the boat, he actually walked on the sea, but then became distraught.

Initially, his confidence had been high, so when the Lord told him to come, he boldly went ahead.

The Bible indicates, though, that he took his eyes off of Jesus by noticing the wind, instead.

It says that he “saw” the wind, meaning that it was whipping up the water to a greater degree.

Looking away from Jesus, the Fearless One, even for just that moment, caused Peter’s courage to flee.

Jesus reached out quickly and rescued Peter, but questioned him as to why he had succumbed to doubt.

As they entered the boat, the wind stopped; and the disciples, in awe, worshiped the Lord as they continued on their route.

We, too, today, must ever look to Jesus, remembering His great love for us and the mighty miracles that He can perform.

We have testimonies today—as well as those told in the Bible—of His ability to bring us out, in victory, through any kind of storm.

P. A. Oltrogge

(From Matthew 14:22-32)