Verse of the day: Genesis
32:24 Then Jacob was left alone;
and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
If
we take much care in reading God’s Word we will see that many of the men and
women whose lives were recorded for us experienced the stresses of life, just
like we do. Jacob, even though he was quite familiar with God’s protection,
still had fears and stresses that caused him sleepless nights. There are a
couple of approaches that we can take in facing life’s stresses; we can pray
and trust that God has it all under control, lay our head on our pillow and
sleep; or if we cannot find that peace, then the next best option is to wrestle
in prayer until God shows Himself by answering our supplications. In Psalm 4:1
the psalmist wrote, “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have
relieved me in my distress; have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.” Knowing that
God hears our prayers, the psalmist concluded in verse 8 of this Psalm, “I will
both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
The disciples, when they found themselves in the midst of the storm, panicked
and called on Jesus who was sleeping in the boat (Matthew 8:23-27). How
beautiful would it have been, and how much faith would have been demonstrated,
had the disciples, in seeing Jesus sleeping, simply continued maneuvering, steering
the boat, and taking turns sleeping, knowing that Jesus was with them? So often
we allow the stresses of life to rob us of peaceful rest. In the verses that
record this account of Jacob’s struggle we see a picture of one who would not
give in, but continue to strive with God until he got what he needed, and
wanted, from Him (v. 22-30). In Luke 18, Jesus used a parable of the persistent
widow to teach His followers to pray and not give up. Verse 1 reads, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always
ought to pray and not lose heart”. A great part of our spiritual battle has to
do with prayer. Although we ought to pray at all times (both during times of
tranquility and turmoil); it is during times of distress that we will plead,
shed tears, and agonize, during those time of great distress, as is described
of Jacob in Hosea 12:4. We also see in this account that although God had
already proven Himself in protecting Jacob and his family thus far, He makes
His presence known once more, to once again comfort Jacob and remind Him that
He is with him every step of the way. What a beautiful reminder to each of us
that when we are in distress, and going through the fires of life, God walks
with us every step of the way (Hebrews 13:5-6). In this wrestling match, we see
that God shows Jacob that He had the power to defeat Him readily, had He chosen
to, but instead showed him that He could heal his life instantly with just a
touch. God touches the hollow of his thigh and puts it out of joint, yet Jacob
does not seem to feel any pain (v. 25). In the midst of life’s distresses, what
we need, and should seek, is God’s healing touch, which not only gives us
peace, but also shows us that we are powerless to do anything without Him.
Jacob held on to God for dear life. In the end, all that God had allowed Jacob,
“the deceiver”, to go through, in his 20 years with Laban, played a part in
changing his character, and preparing him for what was ahead in his journey;
and thereby becoming Israel, “God prevails”. All that we suffer, and
experience, in life, as born again believers, is for the purpose of God
molding, and shaping, us into the image of our Lord and Savior (Romans
8:28-29). How great it is when we turn to the Lord, and trust Him to take care
of our circumstances, and allow Him to show His power in our lives. When all is
said, and done, like Israel, we will be able to do nothing other than give God
complete credit, honor, and glory, when the outcome is favorable on our behalf.
Let us be steadfast in prayer, trusting God, and not giving up, regardless of
what circumstances we may be facing.
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