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(This is a Summer Rerun - Best of Posts)
The definition of wrestling is this: to contend by grappling with and striving to trip or throw an opponent down or off balance; to combat an opposing tendency or force (wrestling with his conscience); to engage in deep thought, consideration, or debate.
The definition of wrestling is this: to contend by grappling with and striving to trip or throw an opponent down or off balance; to combat an opposing tendency or force (wrestling with his conscience); to engage in deep thought, consideration, or debate.
I was listening to a Christian radio program while driving home the other day, and I started thinking about how often I struggle with things I cannot control.
How many times do I argue with God’s sovereign decisions and exert my pride in the form of suggesting a “better way” for Him to move in a particular situation?
Am I alone here? Do you wrestle with God on occasion?
Many of us know the story of Jacob in Genesis chapter 32. Jacob was returning to his homeland in Canaan with his two wives, Rachel and Leah. On the way, he sent messengers to his brother Esau to appease him. Remember, this is the brother he cheated out of his birthright. His servants told him that Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men. Jacob was distressed and divided his people, flocks and herd into two companies. He begged God to intervene and protect him from harm. He reminded God of His promise to bless him and make his descendants innumerable.
During the night, he took his two wives, his servants, and his sons and crossed
over the river Jabbok. Genesis 32:24 says, “Then Jacob was left alone; and a
Man [Jesus] wrestled with him until the breaking of day.” Jacob
had struggled and held his ground – keeping the Angel at bay. His faith was not
shaken, nor did he relent in the heat of the heavenly engagement. Hosea 12:4
declares, “Yes, he [Jacob] struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept,
and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us-
That is, the Lord God of hosts. The Lord is His memorial.” That very day
Jacob saw God face to face. He wanted God’s blessing, but God let him
“struggle” that he might truly see who he was in the sight of Almighty God.
Jacob had been a
deceiver and a scoundrel much of his life. God asked him, “What is your
name? It was a rhetorical question… Jacob knew who he was. God was causing
Jacob to be off balance – that he might dig deep into the
recesses of his soul and take inventory of his life up to that point. However,
though Jacob persevered, he could not gain and maintain a superior position.
During the struggle the Angel of the Lord touched him, placing his hip
out of socket, and giving Jacob a limp for the rest of his
natural life as a remembrance.
This supernatural encounter also gave him confidence for the difficult days
ahead. Jacob had to face the harsh reality regarding his estranged brother and
the reception he would soon receive. God now presented him with a new name – Israel –
which literally means “Prince with God”. Jacob named the place of his
struggle Peniel, which means “I have seen God face to face and my life is
preserved.”
Sometimes God allows us to struggle with Him in prayer, and we are often crippled for our own good.
Spiritually speaking, our view of ourselves and our problems need
to be bent and dislocated in order for our struggling to
cease. Our pride and bad judgment can cause us to live a life that distorts
what God has planned for us. He desires for us to “walk a different way”
after we have wrestled with Him and He has prevailed.
Submitting to God’s plans often involves grappling with our own ideas and remedies.
Submitting to God’s plans often involves grappling with our own ideas and remedies.
This is evidenced in the lives of some of the Bible’s
great heroes. Abraham’s faith was tested when he had a dialogue with God about the
wickedness in Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18). Moses pleaded with God on behalf
of Israel when they began worshiping a golden calf and foreign gods (Exodus
32). We read about Elijah and his struggle with depression. After God
miraculously displayed His power on Mount Carmel, Elijah withdrew into the
desert to die. While hiding in a cave, and wailing “woe is me”, God revealed
Himself to Elijah in a small, still voice (I Kings 19.)
Prayer often represents
the anguish of the soul in the presence of God.
Wrestling with God in
prayer exerts tremendous energy and positioning. Ultimately, as we bend our
will to His, we allow Him to “pin us to the mat” of our struggles and claim
victory in His Name. In Colossians 4:2 the Apostle Paul admonishes the church
to “continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving”,
and in Colossians 4:12 he tells them that Epaphras, one of their fellow
servants “always labors fervently for them in prayer”.
The bottom line is this: prayer and petitioning God is often engaging and deliberate. It’s emotionally draining and often exhausting. It’s exhilarating and soul-satisfying as we wrestle with a Holy God who sees our frailties and embraces our humble efforts to gain His Blessing.
What a mighty God we serve…
The bottom line is this: prayer and petitioning God is often engaging and deliberate. It’s emotionally draining and often exhausting. It’s exhilarating and soul-satisfying as we wrestle with a Holy God who sees our frailties and embraces our humble efforts to gain His Blessing.
What a mighty God we serve…
Deborah
is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is
written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their
passion. It will encourage and challenge
the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together.
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