JUDGES 13
When it comes to God, one of the hardest things to wrap my finite, little mind around is the fact that He stands outside of Time. As creatures who are so attached to linear time, it is nearly impossible to discuss this aspect of God, because even the words we use to talk about it—past, present, and future—are all words that are irrevocably linked to linear time. God is outside of and above all of these things.
This is what I thought about when I encountered the story of how God came to Samson’s mother in Judges 13. He said: "You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death." (vs 7)
Photo © Unsplash/Carlo Navarro
Samson was only a twinkle in his father’s eye at this point, but God knew all about his life—from the womb until the day of his death. Incredible! To think that God knows us so intimately even before we have been conceived! What comes as a revelation to us (as we’re waiting for the two little lines on the pregnancy test) is no surprise to God. He knows us inside and out before that sperm and egg ever meet up.
As God said through the prophet Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I set you apart." (Jer 1:5) And again through King David: "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb." (Ps 139:13) It’s clear, isn’t it? The miracle of birth isn’t something that just happens between a man and a woman. It happens between a man, a woman, and God. A God who knows us before we make a home in our mother’s womb.
Photo © Unsplash/Daiga Ellaby
There’s no doubt about it: You are no accident. Your parents may not have planned on you. The world may not have planned on you! But God planned on you. He knew all about your life before anyone else—from your very first moments in the womb right up until the day of your death. He has a plan for you, and it’s a plan that includes the opportunity for you to know Him as He has known you.
You are no ordinary person. And today is no ordinary day. The King of the Universe knew that you would be who you are, right where you are. And He has special plans for you!