Going For a Walk

"'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God…’ So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.’” Ge 23:28-30

This story has always captivated me with both its strange details and its precise application to my life. Jacob was all alone and came upon a messenger of God. As the story unfolds a wrestling match ensues and through the night Jacob wrestled with a man who was a manifestation of God. He was blessed after the struggle by the very God with whom he fought.

There have been several intentional times in my life when I knew that I was out of agreement with God. These seasons were when I sometimes avoided Him, times when I negotiated with Him, and times when I delayed obedience towards Him. I certainly tried capturing Him in a self-made box, making my kingdom come…wrestling that my will be done. But in the end God will always prevail and the blessings will be more than we could have every imagined. I read a quote the other day in my Bible Study that reminded me of those times. Blaise Pascal, a renowned 17th century mathematician, inventor and theologian said, ‘God made man in his own image and man returned the compliment.’ We try to manifest a version of God who reflects our wishes...our agenda...our plan. How many times do we go kicking and screaming through a season feeling as if we are being dragged? How many of our kingdoms must fall so His kingdom can come into our lives? We ask for the deep desires of our heart and then despise the path. I can’t tell you how many times some of God’s greatest work in my heart has been a result of some of the most heart-breaking seasons.

I saw this scene yesterday when I was walking and couldn’t help but smile and inconspicuously snap a picture. (Pardon the blur but I was on the down-low.) I felt that little dog’s pain as he was being forced down a road that seemed scary. The little dog kept jockeying for position, but his master kept walking and gently pulling him along. I don’t blame the little guy because his view of what was ahead must have been scarier than what was behind. We are no different in walking with God. There will be times when we share the walk in unity and fellowship. But many times, there are walks with limited vision, limited direction and a faint heart. These are times when we must trust our Master and allow Him to guide us down the path. He knows what is at the end of the road and He will not guide us to dangerous places, but places where we can experience freedom and joy that the world cannot steal. It's so interesting that I had to be dragged to some of His greatest miracles He performed for me. May we all walk today with Him, and allow His kingdom to come and His will to be done.