We show up to God’s house on Sunday, Tuesday or Wednesday; with remnants of mess still attached to us. Some of us don’t have any real intent to worship but it looks good for you to finally check in somewhere other than home or the club. Yet, you come with the stain of curse words still on your teeth, the fresh smell of pastor bashing on your lips, the mark of mess on your fingertips from just hitting publish on the post you just finished, no twinge of guilt from just sharing a group message about your family member and then you got the audacity to ask why hasn’t God spoken to you yet. Baby, is He supposed to squeeze Himself in between your rants or should He just wait until He thinks you’re done? When will we examine ourselves? It isn’t punishment when God is sometimes silent but it is God being purposefully in His actions. It isn’t God forsaking us when He doesn’t show up in the midst of our storms but sometimes we need to wallow within our own mess to understand it stinks. The struggle is indeed real.
Think back on some stuff you’ve done. Has your conscience ever had you wrestling all night only to roll over and see the dawn of a new day appearing? Well, this is where Jacob was in Genesis 32. For in my studying, these past few days, the bible says in Genesis 32:24, “So Jacob was left alone, and a Man [came and] wrestled with him until daybreak.” In my logic of thinking, I believe the cause of Jacob’s struggle was from his internal conscience from all that he’d done. Do I believe he struggled with God, yes by way of the “man” God allowed to manifest because sometimes our fight is from some stuff we’ve done. Now, you have to find the answer to the question, “How do I win the struggle?” Jacob tells you the answer and it is, you don’t let go. For the bible says in Genesis 32:26-27, “Then He said, “Let Me go, for day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing on me.” Yes, it is hard and you may end up hurt (ask Jacob) but don’t let go. Yes, the struggle is real but the only way you come out of it with a blessing, you’ve got to be willing to struggle with it until God says it’s finished.
Lakisha, the Author 