Blast From the Past
“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” Isaiah 46:9 (NIV)
Some challenges in life feel impossible to overcome on your own. God doesn’t ask you to handle them with your own strength first. He waits until the right moment, then He looses your hands and gives you the power to face what once seemed impossible. Samson didn’t need a vision until he faced a thousand Philistines armed with only a jawbone of a donkey. That jawbone seemed insignificant, but with God’s guidance and vision, even the smallest thing can accomplish mighty victories. When God gives you vision, you can do more with little than anyone realizes, and you might not even recognize how desperate your situation really is. Others may look at you and feel sorry for you, but you will hold that jawbone in faith, knowing God has equipped you with exactly what you need.
The Scripture says Samson began to kill them with the jawbone, one at a time, piling them up heaps upon heaps. He was reaching forward and forgetting the past, just as Paul said, forgetting what is behind and pressing toward what is ahead. Every battle comes in waves, and just as soon as you defeat one, another will rise, but God gives fresh anointing, looses your hands, and empowers you to keep reaching and forgetting, pressing forward in faith.
In the middle of the fight, Samson looked back and saw more dead in the pile than standing in line, and he was encouraged.
Sometimes you need to look at the victories God has already given you. The past becomes fuel for the present, and remembering how God has carried you before strengthens your faith to face what is now.
Even when you are blessed, there may be a secret thirst, a need that is not satisfied by accomplishments, possessions, or visible success.
God told Samson to pick up the old jawbone, the same weapon he had used before. Out of that old tool came a fountain of water that refreshed him. In the same way, God wants you to revisit the faith, the prayers, the worship, and the dependence on Him that carried you through past struggles. When you pick up your old “jawbone,” your past victories will flow into present strength. Your testimony becomes the weapon that God uses to sustain you and refresh your spirit.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the victories You have already given me. Help me to draw strength from what You have done in the past. Give me vision to see beyond my current circumstances, courage to face the challenges before me, and faith to pick up the tools and lessons You have already equipped me with. Refresh me with Your Spirit and let my past victories empower me to overcome every obstacle. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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