Title: Give me one more chance
Contents
fifth week of january
give me one more chance
Judges 16:28-31
The source of happiness lies in God. Even if you lose your health and material things, you can keep your face of joy because you are close to God. The question is, how can we be close to God? And how can we get closer to God?
There is only one way. "Prayer!" There is no other way than this. But prayer is difficult for everyone. It is difficult to pray even for novice believers or long-time officers. Still, what everyone does is prayer. Prayer is the most difficult part of our religious life, but in a crisis situation, everyone prays. Atheists pray for themselves, communists pray for their ideology. Jews and Buddhists also pray. But what is the difference between praying with us and with them? And what should be different?
“Prayer” means “to scream, to shout.” Prayer is our cry to God. Samson, who appears in today's sermon, also hears a cry. Samson is a believer in the motherhood, and he is a child born through the will of his father Manoah. However, although he is a Nazarite who has received strength and power, he does not pray and does not live according to the Word. Just because parents have good faith, there is no guarantee that their children will do well. However, you can also see children who grew up in difficult families do well and do well. The problem of children's well-being is not a problem that can be solved by the efforts of parents. Because that judgment rests with God. There is nothing we can do but to pass on our faith as an inheritance in a life of constant watchfulness and prayer.
Samson was born with the responsibility of judges to save the people of Israel. He is a person who should pray, and he is chosen only for God's sake. But they give up everything for the pleasures of the flesh. The reason Samson failed was not because of his sin, but because he did not pray. We confess that even in our lives of prayer, we have no choice but to live in sin. This is human. As sinners, we have no choice but to live in sin. That is why we are all sinners, so we go forward with our sins against God. This is faith, and confessing this is prayer.
Samson did not pray and live according to the Word, but in verse 28 we see hope. Samson cries out to the Lord. This is the scene where Samson first prays to God. For those who cry like this, there is still hope for a new beginning. “Lord! Just make me stronger this time. Give me one more chance.” Samson was ready to die. I do not pray for life. I prayed for the mission to save Israel. The moment it ended humanly, God gave me one more chance. I do not fear death, but I pray that God's will be done.
Finally, Samson clings to God! I hope 2012 will be a year for us to shout “one more time!” like Samson. God will give us another chance. I hope that you will become members of the New Sarang Church who become one by joining the new spiritual wind and emergency this year.