Finding Honey in Hardship | Judges 14:7-9

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Today’s shout-out goes to Tom Reid from Elma, NY. Your commitment through Project23 helps deliver God’s Word daily with clarity and conviction. This one’s for you.

Our text today is Judges 14:7-9

Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she was right in Samson’s eyes. After some days he returned to take her. And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion. — Judges 14:7-9

Samson returns to the place of his battle—the lion he killed. The carcass is still there, but now it holds something unexpected: honey. Sweetness from death. Provision from decay.

That’s a strange image, but it mirrors how life feels. Struggles often leave us staring at carcasses—loss, regret, brokenness. We stand there asking, “Why did this happen? Can anything good come out of this mess?” In those moments, it feels pointless. Empty. Even cruel.

But here’s what Samson’s discovery whispers: what feels wasted may still hold hidden sweetness. God is able to bring nourishment from the very places you thought were only marked by loss.

Your struggle may feel like a dead end, but God can make it a doorway.

That diagnosis. That divorce. That failure. That season of grief. It might feel like nothing more than a carcass in your life. But don’t miss this—God specializes in bringing blessing out of brokenness. Samson scraped honey from the carcass of a lion; Jesus brought life out of the grave. The greatest sweetness came from the greatest struggle—the cross.

So if you’re staring at something that feels wasted, don’t walk away too quickly. God may be preparing honey where you only see death.

ASK THIS:

Where in your life are you staring at a “carcass” and struggling to see hope?
How have you seen God bring sweetness out of hardship in the past?
What would change if you believed God was already working in your pain?
How does Jesus’ victory at the cross give you hope in your present struggle?
DO THIS:
Identify one struggle you currently see as pointless.
Ask God specifically to show you where He is working in it.
Share one “sweetness from struggle” story with someone today to encourage them.
Each time you feel bitterness this week, pray: “Lord, turn this into honey.”
PRAY THIS:
Father, I confess that sometimes my pain feels wasted. But I trust You can bring sweetness from struggle, just as You brought life from death at the cross. Amen.

PLAY THIS:
“Graves Into Gardens.”