Judith 13:1-10: a reflection

1But when the evening had come, his servants hurried to depart. Bagoas shut the tent outside, and dismissed those who waited from the presence of his lord. They went away to their beds; for they were all weary, because the feast had been long. 2But Judith was left alone in the tent, with Holofernes lying along upon his bed; for he was drunk with wine. 3Judith had said to her servant that she should stand outside her bedchamber, and wait for her to come out, as she did daily; for she said she would go out to her prayer. She spoke to Bagoas according to the same words. 4All went away from her presence, and none was left in the bedchamber, small or great. Judith, standing by his bed, said in her heart, O Lord God of all power, look in this hour upon the works of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem. 5For now is the time to help your inheritance, and to do the thing that I have purposed to the destruction of the enemies which have risen up against us. 6She came to the bedpost which was at Holofernes’ head, and took down his sword from there. 7She drew near to the bed, took hold of the hair of his head, and said, “Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day.” 8She struck twice upon his neck with all her might and cut off his head, 9tumbled his body down from the bed, and took down the canopy from the posts. After a little while she went out, and gave Holofernes’ head to her maid; 10and she put it in her bag of food. They both went out together to prayer, according to their custom. They passed through the camp, circled around that valley, and went up to the mountain of Bethulia, and came to its gates.

As Judith prepares to do the hard and dangerous thing she has undertaken to deliver her people, she does not rely on her own strength, but turns to God for it. Standing in the tent, she prays, O Lord God of all power, look in this hour upon the works of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem; and again, as she draws near, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day. At the decisive moment, facing what she could not do in her own strength, she asks God to strengthen her. Her dependence was on God; she prayed for his strength in the very hour of the hard task, not trusting her own resolve but asking God to enable her.

Notice where Judith turned for strength in the decisive moment: to God. She had undertaken something far beyond her own power, a hard and dangerous task; and rather than relying on her own courage or strength, she prayed, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day. At the very hour of the task, she asked God for the strength she needed, depending on him to enable her. Her prayer was for strength in the decisive moment, the moment when she could not do it in her own power. She did not presume on her own resolve, but asked God to strengthen her for what lay before her. Her dependence on God for strength in the hard hour was her recourse.

That is worth taking to heart, for when we face a hard task beyond our strength, we can ask God to strengthen us in the decisive moment. When we face something hard, something beyond our own strength, we can rely on our own resolve and courage, or we can ask God for strength, as Judith prayed, Strengthen me this day. At the decisive moment of a hard task, we can turn to God for the strength we need rather than trusting our own. When you face a hard task beyond your strength, do not rely only on your own resolve; ask God to strengthen you in the decisive moment, as Judith prayed for strength. Ask God to strengthen you in the decisive moment of a hard task, depending on him rather than your own resolve, as Judith prayed, strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day; for God can give strength in the very hour we need it, and it is wisdom to ask him to enable us for what lies beyond our own power rather than trusting only our own resolve.

Lord, as Judith prepares to do the hard and dangerous thing she has undertaken to deliver her people, she does not rely on her own strength, but turns to you for it. Standing in the tent, she prays, O Lord God of all power, look in this hour upon the works of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem; and again, as she draws near, strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day. At the decisive moment, facing what she could not do in her own strength, she asks you to strengthen her. Her dependence was on you. Show me where Judith turned for strength in the decisive moment: to you. She had undertaken something far beyond her own power; and rather than relying on her own courage or strength, she prayed, strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day. At the very hour of the task, she asked you for the strength she needed. Her prayer was for strength in the decisive moment, when she could not do it in her own power. She did not presume on her own resolve, but asked you to strengthen her. Take that to my heart, for when I face a hard task beyond my strength, I can ask you to strengthen me in the decisive moment. When I face something hard, beyond my own strength, I can rely on my own resolve and courage, or I can ask you for strength, as Judith prayed. At the decisive moment of a hard task, I can turn to you for the strength I need. When I face a hard task beyond my strength, keep me from relying only on my own resolve; help me ask you to strengthen me in the decisive moment, Lord, as Judith prayed, strengthen me this day, for you can give strength in the very hour I need it.