Tidal Wave

Aug. 28

Read: Judges 14

Tidal Wave

“Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him…” (v.6,19, 15:14, etc.)

How does one describe the movement of the Spirit of God? What does it feel like to experience the Spirit of the Lord? Is it “subtle”? Is it “quiet”? Does it “drain you” or “fill you up”?

Time and time again in the story Sampson we will see the same phrase: “the Spirit of the Lord RUSHED upon him”. This Hebrew word (translated “rush”) means more than simply “to come upon”… there is rooted within this word two very important important ideas. The Spirit of the Lord ALWAYS comes with power and does so to build up / prosper the body of Christ in the end. This is why Jesus tells the disciples in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” And this is why the gifts of the Spirit are given “for the building up and betterment of the body of Christ. “ (cf. Eph. 4:7-13) This is why the term “rushed upon” is so appropriate!

The movement of the Spirit washes over us… it hits us like a wave… there is a sensation of movement and energy. We see this worked out because Sampson has real live / actually STRENGTH and energy when the Spirit of God “rushes” upon him. He can’t help but MOVE… take ACTION… do something! The Spirit of God is not stagnant or “low impact”… not at all! This is such good news for us as his children. Think about:

The Spirit brings power and energy… strength. Who doesn’t need more energy? Who doesn’t feel weak at times? In our tired state… in our weakness… This is where the Spirit rushes in and energizes us… gives us what we need to carry out the will of God. When we are worn out…at our wits end… the Spirit strengthens us - literally strengthens us! Sampson didn’t do what he did because of the “idea” of strength! It was ACTUAL strength when it was called for. The next time you think you don’t have the energy to do what God is calling you to… remember this.

Secondly, the root of this word “rush” is also used to describe the idea of “making one prosper”. I know this word - “prosperity” - has had a tough go of it lately… but it is a biblical truth that the Spirit of God “builds up” and “makes better” the people of God by working through them for each other. When the people of God had given up hope of ever coming out form under the Philistines, the movement of the Spirit stepped in to demonstrate that God had not forgotten them and that a change had begun through the one whom he called - namely this guy Sampson.

You will be hard pressed to find a more mixed up character in the scriptures than Sampson. It only takes one instance of ACTUALLY READING his story to realize the guy was a HOT MESS. And yet, God used Sampson in powerful ways. This is the final “good news” for today's devotional… that the Spirit’s movement, empowerment, and willingness to bless is limited to only those who “have it together”. Sampson was a tremendously flawed dude… yet he was still deeply loved by God and used by him to be the beginning of something new… to “kick off” the restoration of his people. God is willing to work through those of us who are a “hot mess”. God doesn’t give up on us… even when we make mistakes and don’t follow through.

If you want to experience the movement of the Spirit, you must be ready to MOVE… take action… have the wave “rush” upon you. The Spirit will call you into things that you do not feel you have the “strength” for. That is normal. That is GOOD. He (The Spirit) provides strength in the midst of your weakness. To surrender to the “rushing over” of the Spirit will end with blessing and building up of the body of Christ. Both others and you will be built up and blessed. Love you guys! - JDP