Jen’s Gem: No matter what. Don’t let go of God!
This past week was chock full of revelation. It’s amazing what can happen when you take time to reflect, truly reflect. As I mentioned in my post last week (click here to read), I have re-arranged my morning routine and what a difference it’s made! Small changes, big results!
The serenity prayer kept popping up in my head nearly every day. Most specifically, the very first line:
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things that cannot be changed.”
As a natural born problem solver, I’m not one to sit on my laurels when something can be improved. I enjoy coming up with potential solutions to challenges. However, there is a time when you must cry “uncle” and surrender.
At first, this seems like giving up or becoming complacent yet this week I realized it is far from that. The act of surrendering includes taking time for honest assessment and then resting. Not resting as in plop on the couch eating bon bons but resting in knowing that even though your situation may not be what you want, it is not permanent.
Everything in this life is temporary. Everything.
This week, I was also reminded of the story in the Bible about Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32:22-32).I’d encourage you to read it but in short, Jacob was the grandson of Abraham (you know the one who God told to kill his son Isaac). Jacob was well aware of all of the promises God made to his grandfather and Jacob was determined to get them no matter what.
Yet, he didn’t go about it the right way. You see, Jacob was a liar his whole life. In fact, that’s what his name means. He was a master manipulator. One day it all came to a head, and he was to face his brother whom he had majorly deceived. It was highly likely that his brother would kill him for what he had done. Yikes!
One night, as he sat alone pondering the situation, God paid him a visit. The pair literally wrestled through the night. Even though Jacob realized he was powerless over the situation (hmmm…) he held on to God and said:
“I will not let You go unless You bless me!” (v. 26)
Now, let’s look at what Jacob did NOT do. He did not walk away in utter failure, crying in his coffee. He did not curse God and blame Him for all the trials in his life. He finally saw himself for who he was. He knew it was time for a change and he couldn’t do it without God. Good move Jacob.
You see, Jacob knew that to let go of God would be the worst mistake of his life. And because he held on, God blessed him immensely. He even changed his name to “Israel” which means “struggles with God.”
That’s what God does. He always makes things better. The Bible says we are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and old things have passed away. That’s good news! Actually, it’s great news!
You may be going through a challenge and it feels like God is against you. Perhaps you’ve prayed and it’s crickets. Where is God? Why isn’t He doing anything?
I want to assure you God is not sitting idly by. Even though you cannot see it, He is working. Even though you can’t feel anything, He’s working. God does not take a day off. He never goes on vacation. He is with you…always.(Matthew 28:20).
So what do we do in the waiting? We do what Jacob did – we remind God of His promises and we hold on to Him for dear life. We realize that on our own, we cannot change our situation, but with God, anything is possible.
God will never let go of you. Just hold on.
“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” (Matthew 19:26 NIV)