Something's stirring
This week I have been reading about Samson in the book of Judges. This Old Testament book covers a period of Israel’s history before they had a king. The Jews disobeyed God and were invaded by their neighbours. However, in his mercy, God send them ‘judges’ to save them from these attackers. One of the stories is about Samson, and at the end of chapter 13, a little phrase caught my attention...
“The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the Lord blessed him, and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.”
Samson’s mother was barren. An angel visited her and said she would have a son and that he had to be dedicated to God. As Samson grew, God blessed him and the Holy Spirit ‘began to stir him’. What an intriguing statement! In the Old Testament, a ‘stirring’ from God was associated with a person being empowered to do a specific task for God, and that’s exactly what happened to Samson. I love this little detail, that God ‘began to stir’ Samson as he was growing up, preparing him for what lay ahead. Today I believe that the Holy Spirt is still stirring God’s people today! The question is: what is God stirring you to do for Him..?
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader