Wrestling with God

Good Monday morning! The readings for this coming Sunday are the following: Psalm 121; Genesis 32:22-30; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8. Like many fathers, I love to wrestle with my boys. It’s a great way to tire them (and me) out before bedtime. It’s silly and fun and always involves a lot of laughing. It’s also a way for them to test out their own strength, to see what their bodies can and can’t do. And of course, those abilities are always changing as they continue to grow bigger and stronger. Before too long we may have to move our wrestling matches to the basement. The Genesis and Luke readings both tell stories of people wrestling with God. For Jacob the wrestling is quite literal. The widow in Jesus’ parable wrestles with God in prayer. In both instances, the point is the same. Our Heavenly Father invites us to wrestle with Him, certainly not because it’s a fair match and also not so that we can be overwhelmed by His strength. The reason God wants us to wrestle with Him – particularly in prayer – is because the wrestling exercises our faith. It tests our spiritual resilience and shows us what we’re able to do and to endure by faith. Wrestling with God is good for us and for our relationship with Him. That’s important for us to remember when the wrestling becomes painful and difficult and we wonder about its purpose. Just know that the whole time you are wrestling with God, you are also in the safest place possible. You are being held in His arms.