AUGUST 3 - Wrestlin'

"So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak" -  Genesis 32:24

When I was in school, I remember there were brothers who, at home, would clear the living room of furniture and have multiple wrestling matches until everyone was wiped out.  They were not on the wrestling team and had no formal training, but that did not keep them from these bouts.  While there may have been a few minor injuries and they didn’t keep score, mostly they walked away feeling better for having been challenged. I think there is a life-long desire in all men to test what they are made of, not just physically, but in all areas of life. It is not always about winning every time, but finding out where your strengths and weaknesses are and trying to be better each time.

One of the greatest struggles in scripture was when Jacob wrestled all night with God, in the form of a man, which many believe to be the pre-incarnate Jesus. As a result of this process, Jacob is injured and has a limp for the rest of his life, but is also blessed by God and given a new name, Israel. There are many things we can learn from this illustration, but there are a couple that I want to focus on. The times we grow most often involve struggles and pain. It is also through our interaction with God that our lives are transformed and we receive His blessings.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,  for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.   Philippians 2:12-13

What happens when you struggle with God, when you fight and kick against his prodding and attempts to form you into a better man? Often, I find that my fighting wears me out, and I am better off in the end yielding to His desire instead of fighting for my pride and selfishness, which in the end is not worth fighting for in the first place. But there is often something to be learned in all of our struggles, something to be used to form us into a more genuine man in the process of sanctification. We learn how to pick and choose our fights and learn to not fight against those who are trying to help us.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.   Ephesians 6:12

If you find yourself coasting and just getting by in life and in your faith, be on guard, as you are most vulnerable to attack in these times. When you are actively engaged with listening to God and in tune to how He is working in your life and the lives of those around you is when you are most effective. Time in the Word and in prayer is essential in preparing us to being used in ways we can only imagine. So, be encouraged in the fact that our struggles are not in vain. We become better equipped to help those around us that are facing the same challenges we have gone through, and we can better face anything that lies ahead of us when we know that we are empowered by the One that gives true life.

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Hope and Courage in Christ,
Adapted from and acknowledgments to Clark

Todays music is by the Gaithers - "Where No One Stands Alone"