Faith and life meet in a story
Monday Meditations are quick posts designed to get you thinking about God. They provide a fresh perspective as you jump into your routine.
My friends, you bless me in so many ways, ways you'll never know.
Some days I need to
Listen rather than talk
Worship rather than whine
Glory rather than gripe
Today.
"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
In Genesis 33, Jacob spends the night wrestling with a man, whom we later learn is God Himself. As dawn is breaking, Jacob says, "I will not let you go until you bless me."
Jacob was preparing to meet his brother, and face the biggest failures, the most glaring moral lapses in his life. Fear, shame, and doubt plagued his mind. Have you been there? I have. I've wrestled through my own long nights, emotionally and spiritually.
When Jacob asked for blessing God responded, "What is your name?" At first glance, this looks like a dumb question, or a senseless one at the very least. Here's what He's saying, though. 'Before I bless you, own who you are. Own your past and your failures. Don't be shamed by them, but claim them.'
And Jacob does. "I am Jacob. The Usurper."
You can almost see God smile, as He redeems that.
"Not the Usurper. In My eyes, you are Israel, the Overcomer. You have met every challenge you have faced. You have survived. You have overcome."
There's the blessing. Seeing ourselves the way God sees us.
In Genesis 32:10, Jacob prays, "I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown…"
In Genesis 30:27, Laban says to Jacob, "The Lord has blessed me because of you."
Yesterday in class, my boys and I looked at the story of Philip and the Ethiopian in Acts 8. In verses 5-6, it describes the revival that broke out in Samaria after Philip preached the gospel to them. In v. 26, though, Philip gets new orders. "Arise and go on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza." Then the writer adds a note "This is desert."