In Psalms 65:1 & 2 the Psalmist said, “Praise waiteth for thee O God in Zion and unto thee shall the vow be performed. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.”
The scripture says that God Almighty created man in his own image. He breathed the breath of life in him and gave him a living soul. When he created man he left a void. He left an emptiness on the inside of mankind that could only be filled by God Almighty himself. Man has continually sought to fill that void and to fill that emptiness with everything other than Almighty God. The world makes a call and a pull for you but there is nothing but emtpiness, sorrow, heartache and sadness out there. You belong in the church of the living God. So often as God tenderly calls young people, they mistake his tenderness and his longsuffering for weakness. They feel that judgement will never come.
SAMPSON
Sampson was born with the attributes of greatness but he let carnality rule his flesh. He was controlled by his emotions. He was controlled and ruled by the lower, baser, sensual self. We live in a “fake it until you make it” generation. There is no way to fool God. We find that Sampson would not pray. He was a Judge in Israel and blessed of God but he had a weakness in his flesh and he refused to control it. Finally we see Sampson captured by the Philistines. His eyes were gouged out, he was bound by fetters of brass and we find him grinding in the prison house like the common ox. Still Sampson has not prayed. One day as he was grinding a young lad came and said, “They have sent for you Sampson.” We can hear the rattling of the chains as the young lad leads the strong man of Israel up the path. Sampson can hear the crowd roaring. He blindly stumbles along. “Boy, where are you taking me? What is going on?” And he said, “Sampson, the Philistines are having a big gathering. They are going to make a mockery out of you. It hits Sampson like an arrow to the heart. “No God, I can take my eyes being gouged out. I can take not feeling your presence but don’t let them make a mockery out of me. Don’t let them make a mockery out of Israel.” We find Sampson praying for the first time. Sampson took God to his last resort. What is God’s last resort? It is if you won’t pray any other time, or any other way, God is going to build you a prayer room.
MODERN DAY APPLICATION
I can still see his face. I was preaching several years ago in central Louisiana. I had immediately recognized who he was and I watched him as he came, dragging a leg behind him, up to the platform when service was over. He looked at me and he said with haunted slurring speech, “Do you remember me?” “Donny, how could I forget you after all these years?” I remember a big robust young man that was
19 years old, weighed about 210 lb. and stood six feet tall. I remember the crunch of your tackle on the ball field. I remember seeing you in church in Life Tabernacle in Houston, Texas. How could I forget you? I remember that Sunday morning when we got to church and they told us about the accident on a winding highway the night before. Now that you were in a drunken stuper and your automobile hit a bridge embankment and the motor was thrown back into the front seat. You were hovering between life and death–not expected to live.”
I can still see his face. I was preaching several years ago in central Louisiana. I had immediately recognized who he was and I watched him as he came, dragging a leg behind him, up to the platform when service was over. He looked at me and he said with haunted slurring speech, “Do you remember me?” “Donny, how could I forget you after all these years?” I remember a big robust young man that was
19 years old, weighed about 210 lb. and stood six feet tall. I remember the crunch of your tackle on the ball field. I remember seeing you in church in Life Tabernacle in Houston, Texas. How could I forget you? I remember that Sunday morning when we got to church and they told us about the accident on a winding highway the night before. Now that you were in a drunken stuper and your automobile hit a bridge embankment and the motor was thrown back into the front seat. You were hovering between life and death–not expected to live.”
Now years later there I was looking at him again. I had watched him that night from the very beginning of the service. I watched as one of those gnarled twisted arms got a little bit higher than the other one. I watched as tears coursed down his cheeks and dripped off his chin “Donny, I remember a 10 by 12 prayer room that God built for you in a Houston hospital. I remember the first Sunday morning that you were finally able to come back to Life Tabernacle. They rolled you in a wheelchair and I remember the tears on your cheeks that Sunday morning. At the close of that service you reached out and tried to get ahold of somebody next to you and very hauntingly asked if they would wheel you down the aisle so that you could pray. I remember that you took God to his last resort. You had a praying daddy but you wouldn’t pray until finally God built you a prayer room.”
SAUL
Saul, is that really you? We look and see a large man wrapped in rags. Saul, surely that can’t be you on your way to a witch’s house. He would say, “Go away and leave me alone. I don’t want to hear it. I thought I had it made. I thought I didn’t need God. I thought I would always have time to pray but now I am trying to find God and he is not there.” The next day as the battle waxed hot there was an arrow that found an opening in his armour. It hit him. He sagged in the chariot. Blood began to run out of his mouth from the internal wound. Then he remembered: “Oh God, I should have prayed. I should have obeyed you and now look at the mess I am in.” He fell on his weapon trying to find death but death wouldn’t come. He layed on the ground digging at the sand with his hand. His blood soaking up the sand. Finally a young boy came running by. “Lad, lad, would you stop and help me? Would you stand upon me right now and thrust me through with this spear? I am so miserable.” The lad answered, “I’II help you.” Just before he did as he had said Saul said, “By the way, who are you?” He replied, “Sir, I am an Amlicite.” It hit Saul worse than the arrow. You see, Saul had been ordered years earlier to destroy the Amlicites and he had disobeyed. Now an adicite was getting ready to destroy him. There are some things that you need to get rid of. There are consecrations you must make. If you don’t, some day those things that were undestroyed will come back and destroy you. Saul died that day. He was a victim of his own stubborn foolishness.
Saul, is that really you? We look and see a large man wrapped in rags. Saul, surely that can’t be you on your way to a witch’s house. He would say, “Go away and leave me alone. I don’t want to hear it. I thought I had it made. I thought I didn’t need God. I thought I would always have time to pray but now I am trying to find God and he is not there.” The next day as the battle waxed hot there was an arrow that found an opening in his armour. It hit him. He sagged in the chariot. Blood began to run out of his mouth from the internal wound. Then he remembered: “Oh God, I should have prayed. I should have obeyed you and now look at the mess I am in.” He fell on his weapon trying to find death but death wouldn’t come. He layed on the ground digging at the sand with his hand. His blood soaking up the sand. Finally a young boy came running by. “Lad, lad, would you stop and help me? Would you stand upon me right now and thrust me through with this spear? I am so miserable.” The lad answered, “I’II help you.” Just before he did as he had said Saul said, “By the way, who are you?” He replied, “Sir, I am an Amlicite.” It hit Saul worse than the arrow. You see, Saul had been ordered years earlier to destroy the Amlicites and he had disobeyed. Now an adicite was getting ready to destroy him. There are some things that you need to get rid of. There are consecrations you must make. If you don’t, some day those things that were undestroyed will come back and destroy you. Saul died that day. He was a victim of his own stubborn foolishness.
MODERN DAY APPLICATION
There were two boys that got off work one Friday night in Houston, Texas. They were brothers. The youngest was 17 years old. The older brother said, “Little brother, I am so homesick to hear the pastor preach. I am so homesick to get back to Louisiana and hear the saints worship. I’m going to go home this weekend. Won’t you go with me?” The little brother laughed and said “Go ahead and go. I’ve got my check and it’s going to be a wild weekend of women, wine and song. I’m going to have a party.” So the older brother headed for Louisiana and the younger brother got on the freeway and began to thumb a ride. He was picked up by a man by the name of Elmer Wayne Hinley. He asked, “Where are you going boy?” He replied, “I’m going to have a wild weekend. It’s going to be women, wine and song. Elmer Wayne Hinley pulled a revolver out and he said, “Oh no you’re not. You’re going to have a wild weekend but it is going to be with me and you won’t live to tell about it.” With that he took out some handcuffs and asked the boy to put his hand out. He cuffed him to something there in the car and drove him to his house thereon the outskirts of Houston. What I am telling you was later court documented. This was the last boy out of many that Elmer Wayne Hinley abducted. In the court room he said that there was something different about that last boy. He said, “We took him into the house and stripped him. We layed him on the floor and we handcuffed his hands and his feet to the floor. We began to mutilate that boy as we had done to those others. We would torture and mutilate them until they were just about to go out of their mind. Then I would take a 38 revolver and I’d blow their brains all over the floor.” It was he and another homosexual that would homosexually torture these boys. He said” something there was different. The boy screamed, cried and begged and just when it seemed like he was about to loose his mind I took the revolver and placed it to his temple. About that time the boy began to pray. He began to call on Jesus. There was an eerie presence that entered the room. I tried to pull the trigger but I couldn’t. I was afraid so I backed off. The boy screamed, cried and prayed to God. In just a few minutes that boy began to speak a foreign language that I had never heard before. He spoke that language for a while and then that presence seemed to leave and I was able to pull the trigger and blow his brains out.” A seventeen year old Pentecostal preacher’s boy raised in the church he was. He knew what it was to sit in youth camp but he took God to his last resort. I’m not telling you that God did that to him. He did that to himself. God allowed that boy to have a prayer room right before he died. Never take God to his last resort. If you don’t pray now while you have a chance, God may put you in the place where you will have to pray.
There were two boys that got off work one Friday night in Houston, Texas. They were brothers. The youngest was 17 years old. The older brother said, “Little brother, I am so homesick to hear the pastor preach. I am so homesick to get back to Louisiana and hear the saints worship. I’m going to go home this weekend. Won’t you go with me?” The little brother laughed and said “Go ahead and go. I’ve got my check and it’s going to be a wild weekend of women, wine and song. I’m going to have a party.” So the older brother headed for Louisiana and the younger brother got on the freeway and began to thumb a ride. He was picked up by a man by the name of Elmer Wayne Hinley. He asked, “Where are you going boy?” He replied, “I’m going to have a wild weekend. It’s going to be women, wine and song. Elmer Wayne Hinley pulled a revolver out and he said, “Oh no you’re not. You’re going to have a wild weekend but it is going to be with me and you won’t live to tell about it.” With that he took out some handcuffs and asked the boy to put his hand out. He cuffed him to something there in the car and drove him to his house thereon the outskirts of Houston. What I am telling you was later court documented. This was the last boy out of many that Elmer Wayne Hinley abducted. In the court room he said that there was something different about that last boy. He said, “We took him into the house and stripped him. We layed him on the floor and we handcuffed his hands and his feet to the floor. We began to mutilate that boy as we had done to those others. We would torture and mutilate them until they were just about to go out of their mind. Then I would take a 38 revolver and I’d blow their brains all over the floor.” It was he and another homosexual that would homosexually torture these boys. He said” something there was different. The boy screamed, cried and begged and just when it seemed like he was about to loose his mind I took the revolver and placed it to his temple. About that time the boy began to pray. He began to call on Jesus. There was an eerie presence that entered the room. I tried to pull the trigger but I couldn’t. I was afraid so I backed off. The boy screamed, cried and prayed to God. In just a few minutes that boy began to speak a foreign language that I had never heard before. He spoke that language for a while and then that presence seemed to leave and I was able to pull the trigger and blow his brains out.” A seventeen year old Pentecostal preacher’s boy raised in the church he was. He knew what it was to sit in youth camp but he took God to his last resort. I’m not telling you that God did that to him. He did that to himself. God allowed that boy to have a prayer room right before he died. Never take God to his last resort. If you don’t pray now while you have a chance, God may put you in the place where you will have to pray.
By Mark Foster
