Judges 13:2-3, A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.

This is the story of Samson, but we are first given a glimpse of his parents, so I want us to take a look at something that we typically don’t think of when reading this. This is not the only time we have seen the woman being told of an upcoming event. The angel of the Lord also explained that the boy would be a Nazirite and was dedicated to God from the womb. Verses4-5, “Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink, and that you do not eat anything unclean. You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

The woman, of course, ran to her husband and told him, and his response was, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.” And in verse 9, God responds: God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. I couldn’t help but smile here because it seemed like maybe God was making a point. This unnamed woman was valued, intelligent, and important to God. He saw her.

The woman went and got her husband and brought him back to the angel of the Lord, and Manoah asked, “When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule that governs the boy’s life and work?” 

~ The angel of the Lord answered, “Your wife must do all that I have told her.” Then he repeated the standard for Samson and his dedication to the Lord from his time in the womb.

As I was reading this, I couldn’t help but wonder, and please understand I am not by any means saying that this was their relationship, but we all at times in our lives have significant people whether it’s a spouse, friend, coworker, or maybe a boss, the list is endless, that made us feel “unseen” or maybe even “less than”. There’s nothing like feeling as though someone sees you as having little or nothing of value to offer. If you have never experienced that, you are very fortunate, but I would guess most people have at one time or another. This is why it is so important to guard your heart and mind from allowing other people to define you. God sees you, and He knows every detail about you. He placed the gifts and talents needed in you to become all He created you to be. He is the only one who can truly define you because He knows you better than you know yourself. When you have days that leave you feeling less than your best self, be careful not to buy into the lies of the enemy. Whether they came from the mouth of another person or it’s a thought trying to rent space in your head, it is all part of a spiritual battle. As it says in Ephesians 6, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood…” The enemy can lie however he wants to, but you don’t have to receive those lies. I heard a quote the other day that made me laugh, but I think it fits perfectly when dealing with the enemy: “I will not let you walk through my mind with your dirty feet.” Fill your heart and mind with who God says you are. He loves you, and He has plans for you. So get in agreement with God and kick satan and his lies to the curb. Remember satan wouldn’t mess with you if you don’t pose a threat to his plans. The enemy hates you, so of course, he doesn’t have anything good to say; that would be odd. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, our time is short, and He has things for you to do to reach the world around you! His best is yet to come!