Have you taken time lately to reflect on your life?
We remember the difficult times in our lives. Those seasons where the rubber hit the road and we thought. “There will be no bouncing back!”. But we did. Then there were those seasons filled with so much laughter and joy, and we never wanted those days to end.
Some blessings came easily, feeling as though they had just been dropped into our lives, probably because they were. God just blessed – even when we did not deserve it. Without us even looking for blessing or expecting it, He blessed.
There were also those seasons where we fought hard for the blessing. You know those days. The days you feel like Jacob wrestling with the angel.
Jacob, poor Jacob. He does his brother wrong and for much of his life, he looked over his shoulder, waiting for revenge to be had by Esau.
And then came the night that changed everything. The night Jacob wrestled with the angel sent by God. Jacob, the fighter, gives the angel a real good fight.
The angel, realized he had a tough rival, touches Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of it socket. Jacob had to be in pain at that point, but remained determine not to give in. Or give up. We are told:
“Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.”
But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
(Genesis 32:26, NASB)
I wonder how many times we give up without the fight, and miss out on the blessing God has for us. There is an enemy who seeks to steal the blessings God desires to bestow on us. Maybe it isn’t a steal so much as we make it easy for him. We give in, without a fight, surrendering. At times, I think we do not realize how much the blessing is worth the fight.
What would happen if we all became wrestlers?
All his life, Jacob had pursued “blessing” in his own abilities and strength. He chased after, deceived for, and manipulated people in order to obtain what he thought should be his. Instead he found himself still searching, and falling short of the true blessing of God.
Until that fateful night.
It was then Jacob discovered he had come to the end of himself and his conniving ways. He wanted the real blessing and he was willing to fight to obtain it. He took hold of the angel and held on until he received the blessing.
May we do the same. May we not give up too soon. May we not surrender all that God has for us. May we find the tenacity to fight for the blessings our God has for us.
“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”
(Galatians 6:9, NASB)
May we hold onto,
and fight for,
the blessing that is ours.
I love this in so many ways. It's interesting to note, too, how hard his mama worked to get Him that blessing - and she ended up without seeing him the rest of her life. Sometimes we just have to stop - and trust God - and you are right - NOT GIVE UP! It's hard sometimes in the wait of those prayers!
ReplyDeleteMaryleigh, I am so glad you shared as I truly missed that important detail you mention. To think after all that planning and scheming, she would never have seen him again. May we trust God with the lives of our children for He tends to both our children and our Mama hearts in the best of ways. Grateful you shared!
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ReplyDeleteI've tried my best throughout my life to never be a quitter. But maybe I should quote Jacob and say, "I won't let go until you bless me!" Think about it - I bet the enemy was screaming at Jacob, "You're not worthy." And he was right. But Jacob still didn't let go.
ReplyDeleteJerralea, you've made such a beautiful point! You've also reminded me of a sentence I read this morning from Gentle and Lowly >"It is not our loveliness that wins his love. It is our unloveliness."
DeleteYou know, as often as I have read this passage and heard it preached, I never made that connection--that he never got the blessing he had sought for all his life until this point. I'm so thankful for God's patience with His Jacobs.
ReplyDeleteAmen. I am so thankful as well, Barbara.
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