By [Evang. Oladipo Oluwatosin]
On a cool evening in Lagos, I met David, a young man in his late twenties, seated at the edge of a broken wall. His face carried the heavy lines of someone who had seen too much too soon. When I asked him why life felt so heavy, he sighed deeply and said, “I slept in the wrong place.”
At first, I thought he meant a literal bed, but as his story unfolded, I realized he was speaking about choices—the kind of resting places that shape destiny.
David’s story echoes two familiar figures from Scripture: Jacob and Samson. Both men laid their heads down, but in very different places, and their stories remain a mirror for us today.
The Stone That Transformed a Destiny
Jacob was on the run, carrying the weight of deception and fear. Exhausted, he laid his head on a stone—a most uncomfortable pillow (Genesis 28:10-12). Yet it was on that hard, cold rock that heaven opened. Jacob saw angels ascending and descending, and God’s covenant promise embraced him. That “stone pillow” became Bethel, the house of God.
His discomfort turned into a divine appointment. Sometimes God allows us to lay our heads on the stone of hardship, discipline, or correction—not to destroy us, but to reveal His presence and reshape our foundation.
The Lapse That Destroyed a Destiny
Samson, on the other hand, chose a soft and dangerous resting place: the laps of Delilah (Judges 16:19). He was meant to be a deliverer of Israel, a man of unmatched strength. But he surrendered that power, not on a battlefield, but in the comfort of compromise. The same head that should have rested in the strength of God found refuge in the lap of sin. His eyes were gouged out, his freedom lost, his destiny cut short.
Where Are Today’s Youth Sleeping?
Our generation faces the same choice. Many youths, like David, rest their dreams on the laps of addiction, sexual immorality, fraud, or the glitter of fast money. These laps feel soft—promising ease and excitement—but they end in ruin. Others are enduring the “stone” of academic struggle, delayed success, or righteous discipline, and are tempted to trade it for something more comfortable.
Leaders are not exempt. Some are resting their authority on the laps of greed, power struggles, and selfish ambition. Instead of building altars to God, they are erecting personal monuments. The result? Broken institutions, failed systems, and generations wandering in confusion.
The Ripple Effect of Wrong Sleeping Places
- On lives: Dreams aborted, potentials wasted, destinies derailed.
- On families: Broken homes, cycles of poverty, generational pain.
- On society: Corruption, insecurity, loss of trust in leadership.
What we choose as our resting place today shapes the nation tomorrow.
Returning to the Rock of Ages
The good news is that it’s never too late to rise from Delilah’s lap and return to the Rock of Ages—Christ Himself. The stone may feel hard, the discipline uncomfortable, but in Him lies restoration. As David told me before we parted ways, “The rock hurts, but it heals. The lap feels sweet, but it kills.”
To every youth searching for direction and every leader holding responsibility: Where are you sleeping?
- If on the rock—endure, for transformation is coming.
- If on the laps—wake up, for your destiny is at risk.
The call is clear: let us trade the temporary comfort of Delilah’s lap for the eternal covenant at Bethel. The future of our lives and our society depends on it.
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