Wrestling With God
Have you ever wrestled with God? I mean really struggled with where you are in relationship with Him? Wondering, “What is He doing?” “Has He left me?” “Why am I going through this?”
Does the LORD want you to change? Does He want you to mature? Does He love us too much to let us stay where we are? Our loving Father desires for us to shed our old nature. He wants us to “put on the new man!” He wants us to be “transformed by the renewing of our mind.” It is His desire for us to be like Him.
We are given a wonderful example of this in Jacob. Jacob was a controller and manipulator. God wanted to mature him. In wrestling with God, God touched him in the hip. This was very painful for Jacob, but this was the only way God could overcome the strong will of this man Jacob. In breaking him, God was removing the remnants of Jacob’s old nature. For the rest of his life, Jacob lived with the constant reminder of his dependence on God.
Striving with God is good if it is out of our strong desire to seek Him. In seeking Him, we know that “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). But are we willing to let Him change us?
Perhaps in bringing you to the place He wants you to be, you may go through a time of immobilizing, a time of trial or trouble. Your mind must be renewed. You must stop striving with God through your own self-efforts. You must learn to be totally dependent on Him. This process is not pleasant, but be encouraged. He is preparing you for the inheritance He has for you.
Does the LORD want you to change? Does He want you to mature? Does He love us too much to let us stay where we are? Our loving Father desires for us to shed our old nature. He wants us to “put on the new man!” He wants us to be “transformed by the renewing of our mind.” It is His desire for us to be like Him.
We are given a wonderful example of this in Jacob. Jacob was a controller and manipulator. God wanted to mature him. In wrestling with God, God touched him in the hip. This was very painful for Jacob, but this was the only way God could overcome the strong will of this man Jacob. In breaking him, God was removing the remnants of Jacob’s old nature. For the rest of his life, Jacob lived with the constant reminder of his dependence on God.
Striving with God is good if it is out of our strong desire to seek Him. In seeking Him, we know that “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). But are we willing to let Him change us?
Perhaps in bringing you to the place He wants you to be, you may go through a time of immobilizing, a time of trial or trouble. Your mind must be renewed. You must stop striving with God through your own self-efforts. You must learn to be totally dependent on Him. This process is not pleasant, but be encouraged. He is preparing you for the inheritance He has for you.
posted by Joy Ridge at 8:45 PM
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