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     Samson was a Biblical figure that in spite of his womanizing and moral flaws, God used to accomplish his purposes. You probably remember the most famous episode in his storied life when he fell in love with a foreign woman whom God had expressly forbade him to marry. Like most men, Samson let his libido do the talking instead of his spirit and found himself again and again betrayed by this woman who supposedly loved him. One of my all-time favorite preacher quotes was when a friend said of Samson, “If you wake up blind, naked, and grinding somebody else’s corn, you might need to reconsider who you are partying with.”

     What makes Samson unique is that even after abysmal failure and seemingly with nothing left to offer, he made the most of his situation. You may remember the secret of his strength was in his hair and when his woman, Delilah, finally deluded the big lug into telling her that, she cut it off and he was just a normal man. Now, brought to the stadium where the Philistines would make fun of the once powerful warrior before putting him to death, he cries out to God. He rubs his head and feels the hair has begun to grow back and cries out to the Lord, “Once more, Lord, give me back my strength!” He then asks to have both hands put on the  pillars of the stadium and with renewed strength, pushes them down, killing more of the enemy at one time than any previous event in his warrior life.

     Yesterday, over lunch with an old friend, I reflected on my life. There have been two major movements in my life, both of which were amazingly blessed by God. I spent 17 years leading a network of youth ministers and local churches in East Tennessee and later spent 10 years as part of the leadership of a great church in Middle Tennessee. I am proud of what God has done in both of those things after I left, even though leaving the second was not a choice I would have made and quite honestly, I messed up. I am grateful for the part God let me play in both of those.

     Now, that I am nearing 50, I am asking God to show me the next great movement. I believe I have one more season like that left in me. I am not sure whether it will be as pastor of a local church, working with a parachurch group, or what, but I am asking God to “give me back my hair” for one more great push. If He can do that for Samson, He can surely do it for me!

     What about you? Are you in one of those great movements or are you looking ahead for God’s next great movement in your life?

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