My dearest betty. I love you beyond words. Webster does not have in his dictionary the necessary vocabulary to explain the depth of my love for you. Thoughts of you dance across the portals of my mind. You are my all-consuming passion. So enraptured am I regarding my love for you that the Pacific Ocean would be like a pond if I had to swim it. I could do it as long as I knew you were awaiting for me on the other shore. The heat of the Sahara Desert would never impede my progress to you, knowing that you would be the oasis that would refresh me when I arrive. There would be no inconvenience I wouldn’t endure for you. Climbing Mount Everest would only seem like getting over an ant’s hill if I knew you were at the peak. All I’m simply saying to you, my darling…is that my love for you transcends time and space. Signed, Sam. P.S. I’ll see you Saturday night if it doesn’t rain.
Now when you hear this love letter, I think you would agree that Sam was just full of hot air! He talked eloquently and fluently while expressing his love for betty, but climbing mount Everest could not even compare to the turmoil of walking in the rain, according to sam. In other words, he could talk a good game, but in this case, talk was cheap. There is a real paradox that involves the sinister means of our psyche to portray on one hand becoming something that is victorious, but on another when it comes to actually living the victory. Regardless of our age or social status, we will encounter struggles. Sometimes these struggles can cripple us, hinder us and absolutely make us immobile to the point where we are not functioning. And although It’s easy to say “I am victorious, I have overcome,” it is far different reality in truly experiencing it. So today friends, we are going to start our journey and look more into genuine truth of struggling to overcome.
Now I am not just merely speaking about the struggles of life in terms of our health, which all of us are probably an expert on, but more so into the struggles that keep us from God, knowing Him, having a personal relationship with Him, serving God and His people. Scripture proclaims in true reality that our life, even as a Christian, will not be easy, as we live with sin, in an sinful world. Sins definition is ultimately separation from God by means of disobedience. Even though God gave us a choice, free will, when we struggle to overcome, whom are we struggling with? Who is our enemy? When we are tempted to say or act towards a display or when someone may ultimately give you what for by using mean words, who truly is our enemy? Pauls letter to the Ephesians tells us clearly, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
We struggle not against flesh and blood! I want you to remember that. And then when we struggle in life, we find times where the greatest opportunity comes to our door step to come clean to God, to make things right, to ask God for a favor per-say. Don’t be shy or modest. We need to wipe the slate clean, bring our dirty laundry to the surface and say “God, here I am. Make me whole again!” Psalms “For a righteous person falls seven times and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of disaster.” Prophet Micah “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy! though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the Lord is my light.” You see friends, when we struggle, our circumstance does NOT proclaim our value or worthiness in this life. We struggle to not just survive, but be victorious. Amen. Whom is the saving graces of mankind? Who is the source of our strength to overcome? The risen Christ, The great shepherd. It is in God friends we find all the hope, all the strength, and all the power to overcome the obstacles of life. Amen.
When I think on struggles of life, I also think on our great Nation. The Atlantic journal wrote an article about the red and blue American and how it has changed: in such a way, its nearly unrecognizable from recent years. It’s been clear for quite a while now that red America and blue America are becoming like two different countries claiming the same territory, with two different versions of the Constitution, economics, and American history. There is no healthy boundary for the far left or far right people. We are disoriented, unable to speak the same language or recognize the same truth. We are cut off from one another and from the past. I must agree with this article. I would just add this sounds alot like some of the homes and families in our nation as well. Do you know what the hard truthful reality is friends? In order positively overcome, we must confront it in order to overcome it. We do not quit. Amen.
And when I think of struggling, or wresting, I can’t help but to be drawn to one place in the Old Testament that houses a fantastic sporting event that was the spotlight in a wrestling arena of the patriarch Jacob in Genesis chapter 32. In Jacobs wrestling event, there is two contenders, head to head. In one corner was Jacob, a sinful man with loads of baggage. Being the last of the patriarchs from all Israel descended from that filtered to the line to Jesse, where Jesus’s lineage came from. And in the other corner, was the almighty, undefeated champion, the great I AM, Jehovah Jirah.
Jacob having committed sins of treason, lying, cheating, stealing, convetness, manipulation, adultery and so many more, was seriously struggling from the result of his sin in robbing Esau of his birthright from Isaac their blind father. As time progressed, Esau became furious and desired Jacobs death as paramount in the whole region. Everyone was looking for Jacob on behalf of Esau. Needless to say Jacob fled for his life, but having God blessed him with wealth and prosperity, we find in chapter 32, Jacob decided it is time to meet his sin head on. He prayed to God with his most humble prayer verses 9-12. He begged Esau basically for his forgiveness while sending him illustrious gifts, from animals to jewelry. All of which was to no avail, or so he thought.
Now he got up that same night and took his two wives, his two female slaves, and his eleven children, and crossed the shallow place of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had [All the gifts to give to Esau]. 24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
Jacob was alone! If you ever want to know who you really are in this life, go somewhere alone and that is who you really are! Scripture does NOT directly say who this man was. It is accurately presumed that it was God or a messenger from God. Either way, this meeting was divine in nature.
Even amongst Jacob’s past sins and behavior, we have to give him credit here. It took lots of courage to move forward in his subtle attempt to make mends with Esau, but Jacob was about to find out Esaus death threats could not compare to whom he was in the ring with--a champion. Only to overcome Jacobs past, his struggles, he must first meet with God.
25 When the man saw that he had not prevailed against him [Jacob], he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he [Jacob] said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
We would want to think Jacob knew his adversary even though no name was given. Jacob would not let go. Jacob demanded to be blessed by God, this angelic messenger. Jacob, like most men could not look on the unveiled glory of the face of God and survive. Anyone who seen God’s face will die. So, the messenger obviously asked ‘let me go’ which Jacob would not. Jacob’s defiance suddenly turned to reliance upon God. Jacob was so determined, he wrestled all night long, with a dislocated hip. Jacob realized finally, anything he tried to do in life, let alone wrestling with God, it is impossible to function without the Lord. The thought alone of trying, not stopping, appealed to Jacob, as it should us today. As prophet hosea quoted this story In his strength he struggled with God. Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. Listen friends, between struggling with Jacobs own strength and his crying and seeking after favor from the Lord truly tells us what inward decision Jacob made in his heart. When we think on wrestling with our circumstances to overcome our daily lives, our illnesses, our events that we struggle with, Jacob makes a clear and prominent action that we should mimic. Don’t give up! You are NOT alone! And guess what? It paid off. God blessed Jacob, even though his hip was a scar he would carry the rest of his life. 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have contended with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
In verse 28, we have the word contended. In Hebrew (sawraw) which means to persist, exert oneself, persevere. Don’t give up.
Jacob was sternly determined to fulfil the desire of overcoming his obstacle and have God bless him. Although Jacob was blessed by God, his new disability of a dislocated hip was his marker or scar that would join in to his grave which he lived 130.
Guess what happened to Esau and Jacob! Needless to say, in short Esau forgave Jacob and they reuninted in Love.
In closing friends, what can we learn from this wonderful event? Here are some Lessons from Jacobs life of wrestling with God and overcoming obstacles.
1. God is sovereign and uses even man’s own schemes and plans, sometimes sinful, to accomplish His ultimate plan of good. Jacob himself faced the consequences of his actions. Sin has to be dealt with. Our shame, our obstacles, our downfalls must be brought to the surface. God didn’t condone sin or what Jacob did as there was a ultimate price to be paid when sin is involved.
2. You reap what you sow. Jacob’s deceit and manipulation caused tension between him and Esau, him and Laban, and him and his father. Although God still chose to bless Jacob in spite of his sinful flaws, this blessing didn’t take away all consequences of his sin. Jacob’s actions sowed mistrust and deceptive scheming. Sin made many more problems in Jacob’s family life. This includes jealously, envy, favortism and much more.
3. God blesses and takes care of those whom He chooses. If he chooses to bless us, the worst schemes of man cannot stop it. Even though Jacobs life was in danger, God protected him. God had a plan and that plan included saving Jacob and his family. Think on this. Did God protect Jacob only when Jacob obeyed? No, we see that even when Jacob doesn’t seem close to God, God was protecting him, caring for him, and blessing him in his life. All the sins did not separate him from Gods love. Isn’t that comforting to know?.
4. We should be humble like Jacob in his prayer in Genesis 32 which basically said, “God, please save me from my brother Esau”. He was very rich at this point, but he didn’t take credit for it himself. He realized everything he had was from God. This prayer does show us a good example of how to be humble, give the glory to God, and show our dependence on God even during troubles.
5. Like parents like son – Jacob had some of the worst flaws of his parents including scheming (like Rebekah) and showing favoritism (like both of his parents.) A lot of times we would think, “I will never be like my parents.” But it is not the case. Most people are far more like their parents than they would like to admit. And many weaknesses are passed down to the next generation. It is important for parents to be good models for their children and to be aware that children easily emulate them.
6. God is a gracious, forgiving, and merciful. To be honest, when I look at the full life of Jacob, I find a lot of sins and a lot of weaknesses. But the fact is, God loved Jacob. God chose Jacob to be an ancestor of Christ and a recipient of the Abrahamic covenant. God forgave Jacob for his shortcomings and used lessons in Jacob’s life to help him change step by step. No one is perfect. It shows brightly friends that when we struggle to overcome any obstacle, no matter how small or large, our heavenly father will make a way. As the prophet Isaiah tells us I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars. Nothing is too wonderful for our God. Today friends, obey God and leave everything up to him.
Our struggles with God mark us; they give us a new identity, as they did Jacob. We become humbled, limping, mercy-driven, blessed wrestlers. And for that fine reason…With God, all things are possible. Amen.