How are you? How is your week going?
In these uncertain and frightening times, it is so easy for us to wrestle with God. Is God in control? Is He with us and for us? Does He care about us? Does He love us?
The media and the articles out there can place certain doubts in our minds, and we can wrestle with those doubts. Or maybe our wrestling with God looks different. Maybe we are wrestling with God over certain sins in our lives. Maybe we’re just wrestling with God in general, not trusting Him as Savior and not surrendering to Him as Lord.
This past Sunday, we were able to look at God wrestling with Jacob. Through this wrestle, we see that Jacob’s greatest problem is not the one he has with Esau. It is God. He has been wrestling with God all his life. He never trusted in God. He always took matters into his own hands. He always chose himself over others and certainly over God.
Our greatest issue is not a virus. It’s not a broken circumstance. Our greatest issue is that we are sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His wrath and displeasure. That is our greatest problem and issue.
But through Jacob’s wrestle with God, we see that God is the One who pursues us. He is the One who wrestles us. He is the One who redeems us. He is the One who restores us and makes us new.
Jacob realizes this and clings to God for a blessing, even though he was just crippled by God’s hand. Through this plea, Jacob says that he would rather die with God than live without Him.
Jacob now understands who he is. He is the lesser, begging for God’s blessing which is His presence. He confesses his sins before God by confessing his name. There is no more coverup. He finally understands that though he may have everything, he has nothing if he doesn’t have God.
Friends, we have God. Christ has secured that for us through His death and resurrection. He was the One who was judged for our sins, and now we have received a new name with a new identity: Righteous. Christian.
Can we say that we are where Jacob is? Can we confess that we are far lesser than God and that we are sinners in the sight of God? Can we confess that we are nothing and have nothing if we don’t have God?
When we confess our sinfulness and trust in Jesus, we are redeemed. Our place is secured for us in eternity. We can experience the God who pursues us, wrestles with us, redeems us, and transforms us.
When we understand this truth, everything is put into its rightful place. We are able to see our lives and this world clearly. We don’t have to be afraid of this virus or any other illness. We don’t have to be afraid of rejection or failure. We don’t have to be afraid of even death itself.
God has redeemed us through Jesus from the greatest problem of sin and death. And in that, we can have true and lasting peace.
Stay safe. Stay healthy. Remember Christ. Trust in and cling to Him. And may you go in His grace.
As a reminder, Lord’s Day Worship on 03/22 and 03/29 will ONLY be live-streamed. We will not meet in person. Join us via live-stream on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.
In Christ,
Pastor Tim
Photo Credit: Here