Day 24: Wrestling with God

Luke 19:1-27; Genesis 32-33; Psalm 25

Zacchaeus gave away generously what he had.  He pursued Jesus and Jesus came into his life.  That connection prompted him to make right all the ways he had been wrong.  He was putting Jesus before materialism and worldly wealth and in order to do that, he would have had to put his trust in the Lord. Christ did not care what sort of reputation Z had, what he had done in his past, or even the reason he was hanging from that tree.  All that Jesus was concerned about, was the fact that Z was looking for him.  If we seek God, we will find him, and he will come and fellowship with us in our lives.  The second part of this story that is so amazing is that Z changed his life.  He didn't just begin his relationship with Jesus and then continue sinning.  He was transformed. I think too many people, especially young people, think that God doesn't care what way they live their life, so long as they come to the alter or raise their hands in worship once in a while.  Just like it doesn't make sense to say marriage vows but still date on the side...You can't offer yourself to Christ and keep sinning in your life.  We have got to be different!

This is cool.  The night before Jacob is going to meet his brother—something he fears could be the end of him—he wrestles with God.  Jacob, for all his faults, is persistent and perseveres in order to receive blessings from God.  I don’t know what he would have been wrestling about—perhaps pushing The Lord to remember his promises, of how much God loves him, to protect his family—and God was proud of him for it.  Then, a really cool part:  he asks God's name and he actually tells it to Jacob, though in writing it seems coded.  “Don’t you know who I am?”  God is called “I am” and that is what God tells him.  The Lord says to Jacob that he knew in his heart who he was wrestling with, he would have felt deep in his soul the closeness of God, even during a moment of struggle.  What a powerful thought:  that in our deepest, darkest, most difficult struggle is when we can be in the midst of The Lord of the universe and of our hearts. Then Jacob limps the rest of his life as a sign that life is tough and sometimes we have to give up things in order to receive God’s blessing.  That is part of life:  facing, failing, overcoming, learning from all our struggles.

Then, why would Jacob not go to Edom with Esau like he said?  Jacob was called to go to Bethel by God, and so he had to not do what Esau wanted.  He had to love God more than he loved his brother.
The Lord is a teacher, and he wants to guide his people down the right path.  He loves us and doesn’t want us to go astray or have hardships, but we have to be in tune to the Holy Spirit in order to hear The Lord's voice.  Help us to listen and be quick to obey God's direction for us.