Wrestling with God

Have you ever wrestled with God over a calling or direction He has given you?  Or, have you walked away from what you knew you were supposed to do because it seemed too hard on the surface? 

I think back to my kids when they were little.  How many times they tried to force their will in a situation that I knew would be bad or dangerous for them.  They had their mind made up that what ever they wanted at the time was right. 

Sometimes the things children desire are not necessarily bad.  The timing may not be right at the moment though.  Like wanting ice cream right before dinner.  Ice cream in itself is not a bad thing.  Unless you are like me and have issues with dairy.  Another story for another time... However, spoiling dinner with early ice cream is not a good thing for a child’s diet.    

When I was a younger, I was told not to pick up things off the street, or anywhere else because of germs or possibly something worse.  However, I was a very curious child.  I remember seeing something shiny one day and picking it up in a car dealership while my parents were talking.  

Knowing my parents would not want me to have it, I closed my tiny fist around it and carried it secretly for a while.  When it started to bite into my skin, I let it go and saw the blood coming from my hand. I had picked up a razor blade.  I thought it was cool and shiny.  I wanted to protect my newest treasure from my parents lest they took it away from me.  The lesson I learned was not only a painful one, but a lasting one.  We should not always have what we desire.  It can be dangerous for me.  Even though I thought it was a great find as a child, the blade showed its true color to me the harder I gripped it.  I won’t forget that lesson.

There have been many times in my life I have figuratively wrestled with God.  I either thought I knew what was right in my life or didn’t want to go through the pain of change.   Without realizing it, I was delaying the blessing God had planned for me.  After wrestling, and then stepping into His will, I could see the end picture of what He was doing.   Now that doesn’t always happen.  That is why it is called steps of faith.  We need to accept His will, understanding He knows the beginning from the end.  He sees the bigger picture like we did with our children.   He also knows when we step out if faith, our relationship with Him deepens. 

I wrestled with God over writing again.  I didn’t feel I was ready.  That is when He called me to pick up my pen and start again after many years.  He wanted me to share His thoughts and in turn bring me closer to Him in the process.

What are you wrestling with God over today?  Has He asked you to do something, or change direction?  Remember, He knows the beginning from the end of your life.  He knows what is best for you and those you need to reach out to.  The harvest is ready.  The workers are few.  Now may be your time.  Seek Him and see what He can do with one willing servant.  Step out and receive the blessing today.

Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Genesis 32:22-28 (NIV)

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25When the man saw that 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. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Revelation 22:13 (ESV)

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.ready.  The workers are few.  Now may be your time.  Seek Him and see what He can do with one willing servant.  Step out and receive the blessing today.

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