In today's passage, we find Samson exhausted after the battle. With the fight over, he can finally think about his physical needs, and we hear him pray-for the first time (Judges 15:18). But, like everything else about him, it is a curious mixture of faith and self-centred complaint. There are several lessons we can learn:

One, taking our enemies seriously: At first, Samson confesses that his victory is, in fact, God's victory (″You have given″, v. 18). He knows that his power is due to God's intervention, and declares himself to be ″your servant″. He also sees the enemy for what they are (″the uncircumcised″), and is fully aware of the dangers they represent. Likewise, Christians today need to be aware that they have three enemies-the world, the flesh, and the devil-that are committed to keeping them from living a spiritual life. Like Samson, until we take these enemies seriously, we cannot overcome them.

Two, not blaming God for our own choices: Samson's prayer turns quickly into a complaint (″Must I now die″, v. 18). Ironically, he is in such a situation because of his own actions-the fire in the fields and the revenge on the murderers of his wife had been his idea, not God's (vv. 3-8). How often we too complain to God about things that are the result of our own foolish choices!

Three, victory often makes us vulnerable to a let-down: We must be careful not to lose fellowship with the Lord in the middle of victory. We also need to learn to protect ourselves against the inevitable let-down that follows great emotional experiences.

Four, the importance of physical needs: Note also the close connection between our physical and spiritual condition. What Samson needed was not a Bible conference, but a drink of water. We often ignore simple facts about our spiritual condition, and neglect to look after our bodies. An improper diet, lack of sleep, poor physical conditioning, illness-all these can affect us spiritually.

Yet God in His grace answered Samson's prayer. First, He supplies water (v. 19). Samson, however, again directs attention to the wrong place: the spring is called ″En Hakkore″, or ″Spring of the Caller″-it memorialises the one who prays, rather than the God who answers. Second, the Lord establishes Samson's judgeship (v. 20), using him to lead and guide His people in a limited way.

Flawed as he was, Samson did what no one else did-loosening the Philistine's chokehold on his people. But it's sad to think of how much more he might have accomplished had he not kept missing the point, always perceiving his circumstances to be about himself, and not about his God.