"And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of ... Samson ..." (Heb. 11:32 NKJV).

Some may wonder why Samson is included in the faith chapter of the Bible. Because God wrote him in, that's why! Samson did not always live by faith, true, but when it came down to crunch time, he lived by faith and went out as few men have ever gone out. You can refresh your memory of Samson ("sunlike") by reading Judges 13-16. The strong man of the Bible got off to a good start. He was chosen "from the womb" to deliver Israel out of the hands of the dreaded Philistines (Judges 13:5). Following his birth "the child grew, and the LORD blessed him" (v. 24). Also, "The Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him..." (v. 25). Surely Samson sensed this and exulted in the power that came from God. Several times the Bible says, "And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him" (14:6, 19; 15:14). But he became a victim of his unchecked passions and "the LORD departed from him" (16:20).

So why does God include his name in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter? I think it is because in his last days he returned to the faith of his youth. The Philistines gouged out his eyes but they could not dislodge his faith. They made sport of him but they forgot the power of prayer. I believe Samson prayed in faith when he called to the LORD, saying, "O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!" (Judges 16:28). You know the rest of the story. God honored that prayer of faith. Through supernatural power Samson brought down the Temple of Dagon, crushing everyone to death. "So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life" (16:30). As long as there is life, there is hope. I hope this devotion encourages any parent whose child may have strayed from the faith. Perhaps he or she may yet return to the faith of their youth. Let us always pray in faith.

Prayer: O Lord God, remember all those who once believed in Your power. Use us to do all that we can to urge them to return the faith of their misspent youth. Through Christ we pray.