Read

Judges 16:28 “Then Samson prayed to the Lord, ‘Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more.’”

Think

Some endings feel absolute. A slammed door. A shattered relationship. A public failure. There are moments in life when the spotlight fades, the crowd disperses, and all you can hear is the sound of silence. It feels like the show is over. The opportunity has passed. The damage is done. The story is finished. That is exactly where we find Samson in Judges 16.

He was once the strongest man in Israel. Chosen before birth. Set apart by God. Feared by enemies. Celebrated by his people. But he traded his calling for compromise. He gave away his secret. He trusted the wrong people. He lost his strength, his freedom, and his sight. Bound in chains, eyes gouged out, mocked by the very ones he was born to defeat, Samson is led into the temple of his enemies like a broken man paraded for sport. If ever there was a moment that looked final, this was it.

But then, in the middle of the lowest moment of his life, Samson whispers a prayer. Not loud. Not polished. Just raw. “God, remember me. Please strengthen me just once more.” Just once more. That is the heartbeat of an encore.

It is not about pretending the past didn’t happen. It is not denial. It is not dressing up failure with religious language. It is an honest cry for God to move again, even here, even now, even after everything.

Samson did not deserve another chance. He had wasted so many. He had walked into sin with his eyes open. But grace is not about what we deserve. It is about who God is.

God heard that prayer. He restored Samson’s strength. And in that final act, Samson defeated more enemies than he had in his entire lifetime.

That is what God does. He specializes in unexpected comebacks. He gives power to the faint. He restores what was lost. He does not need a clean track record to do something meaningful. He just needs surrender.

Some people live their entire lives believing that one failure has permanently disqualified them. They convince themselves they have nothing left to offer. They stop praying for purpose. They stop hoping for restoration. They settle into shame. But God is not finished with you.

Your failure may be part of your story, but it is not the end of it. The spotlight may have faded, but the curtain has not closed. As long as there is breath in your lungs, there is time for one more prayer. One more step of faith. One more chapter of grace.

The enemy wants you to believe it is over. He wants you to keep quiet, to retreat, to accept your regret as your identity. But God is waiting for your voice. Not a perfect one. Just a surrendered one. There are moments in life where we have to learn how to pray Samson’s prayer.

God, give me strength just once more.
God, give me courage just once more.
God, give me hope just once more.

Not because we are trying to rewind the past, but because we believe God can redeem the future.

The encore God gives is not a recycled performance. It is not just more of the same. It is redemptive. Purposeful. It reaches into your past without being bound by it. It takes your worst moment and somehow makes it part of the stage for your next one.

Think about Peter. He denied Jesus three times. He failed when it counted most. But after the resurrection, Jesus called him by name and restored him. Peter’s failure was real, but it did not cancel his calling.

Think about the prodigal son. He wasted his inheritance, dishonored his father, and hit rock bottom. But when he came home, he was not met with a lecture. He was met with a celebration. This is the rhythm of redemption. It is not for perfect people. It is for the desperate. The honest. The ones willing to say, “God, I need you again.”

Maybe today you feel like the show is over. You’re looking at your life and wondering if anything meaningful can come from what is left. The answer is yes. Not because you are strong. But because God still writes new endings.

He does not abandon his people at their lowest. He enters the pain. He meets them in the ruins. And he brings power that is not dependent on performance. So, what would it look like for you to pray, “God, one more time”?

Maybe you need strength to fight for your marriage. Maybe you need courage to face your past. Maybe you need grace to forgive someone who hurt you. Maybe you need a fresh sense of purpose in a season that feels quiet and small. Whatever it is, bring it to him. You are not disqualified. You are not too far gone. You are not done.

God is still the God of encores. The same one who answered Samson’s prayer in a Philistine temple is listening to yours now. His power has not faded. His grace is not reserved for the perfect. It is for the humbled. The hungry. The ones who dare to believe again.

When the lights come up, and it looks like the end, heaven still hears the cry of faith. He is not off the stage. He is getting ready to step into your story with something greater than you imagined. Call to him. One more time.

Apply

What area of your life feels like a lost cause or a finished story? Bring it back to God in prayer today. Not with guilt, but with hope. Use Samson’s words if you need to: “God, please strengthen me just once more.”

Pray

God, I know I have made mistakes. There are parts of my life I would rather forget. But today I believe that you still hear me. I believe you can do something even here. Give me strength just once more. Use my life again. I trust that your grace is not finished. In Jesus’ name. Amen.