Learning the hard way (3)

You’re asking for trouble when you refuse to take God seriously. The angel who announced Samson’s birth said he was to “be a Nazirite,” indicating that he was to be dedicated to doing God’s will. But Samson was careless about his spiritual life. He prayed only when he was in trouble. He was impulsive; he did whatever he felt like doing. The truth is, we would save ourselves so many problems and spare ourselves so much pain if we would just stop and ask God for direction. Samson turned to God only when he got into a jam. It’s what we call “foxhole Christianity.” We pray, “Lord, if You get me out of this dilemma, I promise I’ll live for You from now on.” But here’s the question: is God just an afterthought, a convenience to you? When things get tough and you’re in a tight spot, you turn to Him in desperation, but when everything’s all right, you ignore Him? Only when Samson was captured by the Philistines, his eyes gouged out, and he was grinding grain at a mill like an ox do we read that he turned to God and prayed. What kind of history might Samson have had if he had prayed right from the beginning? Why did he wait until everything fell apart before turning to God? It doesn’t have to be that way in your life! The psalmist said, “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours” (Psalm 128:1-2 NIV).