Sympathy for Jacob
Posted in Misti's Posts 1 comments
Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak...he said, "I will not let you go until you bless me." Genesis 32: 24 & 26
"The American Dream" These could be described as extremely inspirational words, but sometimes I wonder if they are not a curse to the average Christian. We strive to 'get ahead', to obtain success. For some people, every minute of every day is perceived as an opportunity to network and multitask our way into our "American Dream".
So often, this daily struggle to survive (and do it well) spills over into our relationship with God. We see Him as we see our other 'contacts', and we begin to try to work Him the same way we work our business associates. We try to manipulate Him to get what we want, even though what we want is often in direct conflict with what we need. We want to control our world when we are clearly not destined to be in control. We are not nearly smart enough to run our own lives. Our track record of mistakes and sins proves that.
Jacob wrestled with God until God blessed Him. That day, God made him the father of a nation. 'Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed" Genesis 32:28 This was not a bad thing; Jacob showed tenacity in his desires, but in this particular instance, his desires were pure--they aligned with what God wanted for his life.
When we find ourselves wrestling with God, we must ask the question, "What am I struggling for? Am I really approaching this with God's perspective?" Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4. As we focus on Christ, our desires come into alignment with God's. I've often explained it to my students this way; "Focusing on God does not mean He will give us everything we've ever wanted. It means He will plant in our hearts new desires that far outreach anything we could ever have come up with on our own, and THOSE will be the things He will give us."
"The American Dream" These could be described as extremely inspirational words, but sometimes I wonder if they are not a curse to the average Christian. We strive to 'get ahead', to obtain success. For some people, every minute of every day is perceived as an opportunity to network and multitask our way into our "American Dream".
So often, this daily struggle to survive (and do it well) spills over into our relationship with God. We see Him as we see our other 'contacts', and we begin to try to work Him the same way we work our business associates. We try to manipulate Him to get what we want, even though what we want is often in direct conflict with what we need. We want to control our world when we are clearly not destined to be in control. We are not nearly smart enough to run our own lives. Our track record of mistakes and sins proves that.
Jacob wrestled with God until God blessed Him. That day, God made him the father of a nation. 'Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed" Genesis 32:28 This was not a bad thing; Jacob showed tenacity in his desires, but in this particular instance, his desires were pure--they aligned with what God wanted for his life.
When we find ourselves wrestling with God, we must ask the question, "What am I struggling for? Am I really approaching this with God's perspective?" Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4. As we focus on Christ, our desires come into alignment with God's. I've often explained it to my students this way; "Focusing on God does not mean He will give us everything we've ever wanted. It means He will plant in our hearts new desires that far outreach anything we could ever have come up with on our own, and THOSE will be the things He will give us."
1 comments:
Your comments on the American Dream made me think of the song "Casulties" by Addison Road (http://www.lyrics007.com/Addison%20Road%20Lyrics/Casualties%20Lyrics.html). It's so true that the American Dream doesn't seem to be God's dream for us.
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