Hey Friend,
Lately I have been wrestling with God. Yes, you read that correctly - wrestling. I've been asking God, "Why?" Why did I go through a painful surgery and five months of rehab only to be at a place where I have very limited mobility? Lord, you know the past few years have been more than difficult on many levels (ref: Church Lady? I Think Not), so why this? Who am I...Job?
Well meaning well-wishers have reminded me it could always be worse. Yes, no matter what we are going through, somehow it could always be worse. I promise I will never invalidate what you are going through by giving you that cliché response.
I used to think that I always had to pray "pretty prayers" before God. But, as my relationship has grown with God, I have come to know that my prayers...my conversation with God can be riddled with why's and doubts and fears. My prayers are often not even words; they are so painful.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. (Romans 8:26)
Wrestling connotes a close and engaging give and take. You can't wrestle from afar. Sometimes wrestling hurts and is painful. Sometimes we struggle against God. Often we are sad, angry, disappointed or all of the above.
In the Psalms, David wrestled with God. He cried out to God on occasions too many to count asking, why?
"Why, oh Lord do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" (Psalm 10:1)
Yet God still called David a man after His own heart.
Christ, in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross, wrestled with His Father. He cried out,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
Jacob wrestled one night with a stranger whom he recognized as God's representative, and asked him for a blessing. The man then bestowed a new name upon him: Israel. This name means "he strives (or wrestles) with God ." It is based upon a rare form of Hebrew for striving (yisar) and one of the words for God (El).
The common denominator - all of those who wrestled with God saw ultimate victory. God did not shun or condemn those who wrestled with Him. Our God is much bigger than that. He can handle our anger, doubt and fear. He wants to have a close and personal relationship with us even if it means we will wrestle with Him.
In order for there to be victory, there must be struggle.
Trust Love's heart. He can bring triumph from our trial(s).
God grew His beloved nation Israel out of Jacob's struggle with Him. God is more concerned about our character than our ease of living. In His great love he allows us to be purified in the crucible of struggle, but he promises we will not be burned or consumed. We will emerge victorious!
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37).
If you are wrestling right now...know that the victory is coming!
Love,
Bev
praise God, so blessed by this
ReplyDeletePearl,
ReplyDeleteSo glad you were blessed by this post...may God's grace and mercy rest on you dear sister! Bev
Loved this one, too, girl! Thanks for more great verses to reflect on and words to remember!
ReplyDeleteLisa,
DeleteThank you, as always, for continuing to love and support me. Your opinion matters!! Love you girl!
I must say this blessed me too. I too thought my prayers had to be "pretty prayers." I recently have set aside dedicated prayer time each morning and it helps to know our prayers don't have to be pretty. That its okay to come to him with our "why's and doubts and fears."
ReplyDeleteI did a study of Habakkuk not to long ago and love this, "3:17 For though the fig tree doesn’t flourish, nor fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive fails, the fields yield no food; the flocks are cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls: 3:18 yet I will rejoice in Yahweh. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!"
Thank you for your post today!
Beth, thanks for the important reminder that even in our wrestling and struggling, even when "the fields yield no food", we can rejoice and be joyful in the God of our salvation! Beautiful words to live by! Thanks Beth!!
ReplyDeleteBev, these words won't soon be forgotten: " God is more concerned about our character than our ease of living. In His great love he allows us to be purified in the crucible of struggle, but he promises we will not be burned or consumed." SO good.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this awesome post!
Kristen,
ReplyDeleteFirst, let me give a shout out to my friend Kristen @ Chasing Blue Skies...awesome and inspiring writer. Check out her site!! Thanks, Kristen, for your friendship and encouragement...you truly inspire me!!
Blessings to you,
Bev
Bev this was just beautiful and I know just the friends that would be blessed by this today! Off to share....
ReplyDeleteThanks for your lovely words of TRUTH! So glad to have 'met' you over at Holleygerth.com today!
Bless you,
Sherri
Sherri,
DeleteThanks for your encouraging words. I hope my (God's) words will strike a chord with those with whom you share them. That's what we're all about, right? encouraging others! So glad to have "met" you too in cyber space. Hoping our paths cross many more times!
Blessings to you,
Bev
So beautiful. I have to admit that it took me a long time before I would pray out loud in bible study group or any other time. Which seems so funny since my dream is speak and share Christ but I thought my prayers had to extraordinary. That they had to have special words and a certain flowing. Thanks for the reminder that it is more about who He is than what we say.
ReplyDeleteAmy,
DeleteIt's funny how God calls us outside our comfort zone, but when we do step outside...God is blessed, others are blessed and we are blessed! Praying for your dream to speak and to share Christ! So true what you said that "it is more about who He is than what we say." Amen! Blessings to you, Bev