“Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
–Genesis 32:26 (NLT)
I was never much of a sports enthusiast when I was a child. In spite of this, I did a little wrestling research. To my surprise, I learned that wrestling is one of the oldest forms of combat in the world. It has been seen on the walls of caves, and it is recorded in Greek mythology.
Here are a couple more interesting facts you might want to add to your trivia collection:
When competing, Turkish wrestlers cover themselves in olive oil. (Does that sound like a mess or what?)
The World Heavyweight Championship was brought to Raw by former General Manager Eric Bischoff after WWE Champion Brock Lesnar became exclusive to SmackDown.
Bischoff awarded the championship to Triple H, but The Game had to defend it against his best friend, Ric Flair.
Wrestling titles change hands regularly, but the champion who conquered death remains steadfast. To see what I mean, let’s study the two wrestling matches found in the Bible, starting with the life of Jacob.
As you probably know, Jacob had been a deceiver. Since his former cheating had robbed Esau of the family inheritance, Jacob was terrified by the prospect of meeting his brother. So he arranged his 300 servants in a way that would protect him. But more importantly, Jacob called on The Lord for mercy.
Scripture tells us that Jacob was alone in his camp when a man came to meet him. Esau’s younger brother wrestled all night long with this man.
I believe that the strange man in this story was none other than Jesus Christ. The Bible makes it clear that He was the Word who existed from the beginning. Also, the alone time that Jacob experienced can be compared to the preparation of the heart for Christ. All of us need to make time in our schedules for God. Solitude with our Lord offers time for the confession of sin, and for meditation on His Word. These measures will help us to hear the voice of God more clearly.
Notice that the man in our story came to Jacob, and not the other way around. This is the same way that Jesus came to us as a babe in Bethlehem, and still comes to us today.
Scripture tells us that He emptied Himself, but not too many of us really think about what that means. This is crucial to our understanding of Him, however. Jesus left behind all of His heavenly riches in order to fully identify with you and me in our physical and spiritual poverty.
Jesus could have easily overpowered Jacob, but He merely injured his opponent instead. This is a reference to Christ’s voluntary submission, which hinges on the above identification. In other words, because he was so secure in the Father’s love, Jesus yielded to God’s will by paying the price for you and me.
Once the wrestling match was finally over, Jesus touched Jacob’s thigh and dislocated it. To me, this is similar to the way in which Christ touches our hearts. Like Jacob, we often find it painful when God shapes and molds us. But if we surrender to His working, we will see the beautiful result of God’s glory.
Before letting Him go, Jacob asked God for a blessing. “what’s up with that?” you may say. “I didn’t think we were supposed to pray for ourselves.”
Well, all I can say is that Jacob did this, and scripture tells us to follow his example and come boldly before God’s throne. I must conclude, then, that we can ask for God’s blessing too. But as in Jacob’s life, the Lord’s blessing might come in unexpected ways.
Along with this, it is also very important to see that God asked Jacob for his name. Now He was no longer Jacob the deceiver. His name was Israel, a man who was governed by God. Armed with his new name, this man could make a fresh start in life, and so can you.
Jacob’s name spoke of identity, and so does your name and mine. When you give God your identity, the Bible says that He will transform you into a new creation in Christ.
I previously mentioned two wrestling matches that can be found in the Bible. Now let’s look at the second one. This is where the rubber really meets the road.
We wrestle our way through difficult circumstances all the time. The apostle Paul tells us that instead of wrestling with flesh and blood, we fight demonic forces in the universe–forces which would hold us back from God’s best, and take away the freedom to live the new life which I just spoke about.
My friend, I would like to encourage you to hang in there, even when you don’t feel like it. Emotions alone can rob you of your freedom in Christ. If your life is dictated by your feelings, your days will be a perpetual roller coaster ride which will keep you bound in proverbial chains of emotion.
So just as you might not always want to exercise while training for a physical wrestling match, the end results of spiritual exercise will help you press on if you stay focused on the goal. In the spiritual world, we must fight in prayer for God’s peace when all we can see are life’s turbulent waves. Satan might whisper that life is one challenge after another, and that may indeed seem to be the case for a season. But if we trust in Christ, He will always be there with open arms, ready to help you bear life’s burden. You will soon find that putting in the extra effort to seek our heavyweight champion will bring you joy that will last through the tough times.
Thank you for reading this, and may the Lord give you a wonderful week! We are trying to reach people who are hurting, so if God lays it on your heart, please consider becoming a partner with us. If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.hcmachaplains.org and click on the Donate Now link. You can also send donations by mail to HCMA (Healthcare Chaplains Ministry Association). Our ID number is 560. The address is 101 S Kraemer BLVD, Suite 123A, Placentia, CA 92870. Finally, you’re always welcome to join our Monday night Bible study or Tuesday night prayer meeting. Both are conducted by conference call, and they take place at 5:30 PM Arizona time. Our conference number is 712-775-7031, and our ID is 607518748. We hope to talk with you soon!
If you have questions, comments or prayer requests for Timothy or Stephanie Burdick, please call 507-369-6861.
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