Failure and Faith Moments and Why Samson is Listed in the Hall of Faith

Like some of you, I grew up loving the stories of the Bible. 

Elijah on Mt. Carmel and Daniel in the lions’ den.   

Moments like these where pillars of faith believed God, and God humbled the proud and exalted the humble.

So I grew up believing there are two classes of Christians:

Pillars of faith, like Elijah and Daniel and my very godly, elderly pastor.

And the rest of us who can only admire from a distance.

Then, I find Samson and Jephthah and Barak in the Hall of Faith. 

Intermixed with “the pillars,” I see people like me, prone to wander and fearful and unbelieving at times.

Discussing this perplexity with a friend one day, she said something I will never forget.

“God sees our faith moments, even when we fail at other times.”

If you study the lives of these men, they showed only a few “faith moments.”  

Only a time or two did they show utter “confidence in God before [they saw] God emerge” (O. Chambers). 

Their faith showed itself only in “moments.”

I’d like to think my life would be one great faith moment, where I’d always be ready to contend against prophets of Baal or would be faithfully fearless if thrown into a lions’ den.

But God calls us to live normal, sometimes mediocre daily lives.

And all of us fail.

In fact, no pillar of faith exists.

None ever has.

If God waited for flawless people to use, He’d never use anybody.

God used Samson.

Physically strong, but weak and full of flaws. A man who failed.

But a man who had his faith moments.

God uses people like Samson and Jephthah and Barak . . . and you and me.

Because He has nothing else to work with.

Men and women who fail and stumble and sin and fear.

But who, looking to God at the right moment, believe, and watch Him work.

When it came down to it, Samson knew where his strength came from.

And in his greatest moment of faith, he was strengthened like never before (Judges 16:28-30).

The Hall of Faith doesn’t list “pillars of faith,” but men and women who had this testimony:  “They believed God.”

God sees our faith moments.

Even when we fail at other times.

Click here to listen to "Courageous Faith".  [A lesson in the Hall of Faith series.]