Disappointment

Hardship

Loss

Difficulty

Betrayal

Deprivation

Pain

These are very definitely not my favorite words! But, if we are honest, these and other words that carry sadness and grief are part of our lives. So, what do we do in circumstances described by these words?

I boldly suggest we wrestle! Be bold, be relentless, be purposeful, and wrestle.

 Jacob, son of Isaac, had wrestled all his life. He wrestled with his brother Esau in the womb (Genesis 25:21-26). He figuratively wrestled with his father-in-law Laban, who dealt treacherously with him. Laban agreed that Jacob would work for seven years to marry Rachel. But using subterfuge, Laban substituted her older sister Leah. To marry Rachel as well, Laban required Jacob to work an additional seven years (Genesis 29: 15-30).

As Jacob’s family grew, the LORD directed Jacob to return to Canaan. Returning home to Canaan meant facing his brother Esau, who had every right to be angry, murderously so, with Jacob. Jacob feared the worst when he heard that Esau was coming his way with 400 men (Genesis 32:1-6). Jacob arranged to save at least part of his family by splitting them into different groups. (Genesis 32:6-7). Next, Jacob began the first stages of wrestling with God.

Genesis 32:9-12

Then Jacob prayed, “O, God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, “Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,” I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. I had only my staff when I staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. Save me, I pray from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me and also the mothers and their children. But You have said, “I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea which can not be counted.”

Jacob began to lay the groundwork for his argument of why God should protect him and his family. Jacob boldly and purposefully quoted God’s own words back to Him in prayer. That night, Jacob physically wrestled with God. Jacob deliberately and relentlessly held on and asked for a blessing.

Genesis 39: 24-29

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”…

Sweet sister, I am not suggesting you find a man to wrestle with! However, I suggest we learn some fundamental concepts from the passage about Jacob. First, God’s words are important to Him. When we purposefully say back to God what He has said to us, He listens. His words are important, so He honors them.

Please take a breath. I am not endorsing any type of Name and Claim It/Health and Prosperity ideology. Instead, I am reminding you that God has given us His word. God honors His word and will not allow His word to return void of the purpose He intended. (Isaiah 55:11). When God sends us a specific WORD for a season, He has a purpose that He will accomplish in our lives.

Second, God is honored when we persevere in faith. When we cling to His word and expectantly watch for Him to honor His promise. When we are bold and purposeful in our intention to wrestle through the hard stuff to see Him triumph… that is God-honoring faith!

Do you remember reading 2 Chronicles chapter 20 in the first chapter of this study? At that time, we mainly focused on God’s declaration that some battles weren’t ours to fight. Instead, we must only show up to our assigned duty post and watch God deliver us! Now, I would like us to back up to the prayer of Jehoshaphat in verses 6-12. King Jehoshaphat rehearses how God gave the people of Israel the land and protected them in it. Then, the king begins his own version of wrestling with God. “…You would not allow Israel to invade… they turned away and destroyed them not…”

 King Jehoshaphat basically said, “You wouldn’t let us destroy them, and now they are invading us. What are You going to do about it?” At the end of verse 12, he says to the Lord, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” He reminded the Lord, and then he trusted the Lord for deliverance. He wrestled with God.

What situation are you facing right now that looks hopeless?

Are you willing to wrestle with God and trust Him with the outcome?

Serving alongside you,

Carla

Excerpt from Choose to Live on Philippians Way (2024) by C.A. Adams