"That same night he got up and
took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the
ford of the Jabbok.
He took them and sent them across the
wadi, along with everything he owned.
Jacob was left alone; and a man
wrestled with him until the break of the day."--Genesis 32:22 thru 24
Do you ever get tired of waiting for God and try to
make things happen? Do you convince yourself that God's too busy to help you,
so you decide to carve out your own destiny?
You've probably heard the story before--about how
Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord to obtain a blessing. But Jacob began
wrestling much earlier. He and his twin brother Esau, wrestled in their
mother's womb. And Jacob, whose name literally means "supplanter," or
"heel grabber" was named that because he took hold of his brother's
heel as they were being born. Jacob later finagled his brother out of his
birthright to obtain the blessing of the firstborn son. Jacob would stop at
nothing to secure a personal advantage. He pursued the divine blessing
deviously and relentlessly to obtain success.
How desperate are you to obtain God's blessing?
You've waited and waited on God and you're fearful that the blessing you've
prayed for will never happen. Everyone around you seems to prosper. But success
always seems to elude you. However, there is purpose in the process...and a
process takes time.
Over the years, Jacob changed. He became a man of
faith. Through trials and suffering similar deceptions, his heart turned toward
God. Now, at a desperate time in his life--the eve of meeting the brother he
had deceived and with his angry father-in-law at his heels, he sought God and
God showed Himself to Jacob face-to-face.
As they wrestled, the pre-incarnate Christ knew that
the morning light was breaking and told Jacob to let him go. Jacob responded,
"I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me." Christ touched him
and his hip went out of joint. Though in great pain, Jacob persisted in his
plea and would not give up the fight.
How about you? Are you holding on in faith or
wrestling in fear?
"The whole vision has become to you
like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is
literate, saying, 'read this, please.' And he says, 'I cannot, for it is
sealed.'"--Isaiah 29:11
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