Word of Encouragement (5/16/2020)
How is it going with your prayer life? It is not easy to break out of our small prayers and strive to pray great prayers with great faith, is it? It is quite a struggle to keep our focus on the greatness of God rather than lament about how many and big our problems are! But our problems are there to stretch our faith and enlarge our prayers. The bigger our problem, the more we can see of God’s greatness. This is why Jesus came “four days late” to Mary and Martha, after Lazarus died. He wanted them to see that He was not just a great Healer but the Resurrection and the Life.
What E.M. Bounds says about Jacob’s prayer at the banks of the Jabbok River is quite helpful:
“To reach God, to know God, and to conquer God [that is, to prevail with God], that was the demand of this critical hour. Jacob was alone, and all night witnessed to the intensity of the struggle, its changing issues, and its veering fortunes, as well as the receding and advancing lines in the conflict. Here was the strength of weakness, the power of self-despair, the energy of perseverance, the elevation of humility, and the victory of surrender. Jacob's salvation issued from the forces which he massed in that all-night conflict.”
“He prayed and wept and importuned until the fiery hate of Esau's heart died and it was softened into love. A greater miracle was wrought on Jacob than on Esau. His name, his character and his destiny were all changed by that all night-praying. Here is the record of the results of that night's praying struggle: ‘As a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.’ ‘By his strength he had power with God, yea, he had power over the angel and prevailed.’”
Who can prevail over the almighty God? Not he who opposes God with his strength but he who clings to God out of weakness; not he who holds on to his own will but he who holds on to God with all of his will; not he who wants God to move at his command but he who wants God to bless him according to the riches of His grace. This is not easy to do, not because God resists us when we cling to Him but because we cling to ourselves and our control so tightly. But when we humble ourselves by clinging to Him (even if it takes us all night!) and prevail over Him, then how amazing is our victory! But our victory is not in changing God but God changing us. After all, it was Jacob’s name that was changed—from Jacob to Israel—not God’s!
We, too, have been transformed by God in a greater way. Our name is now “Christian”—not those who are striving with God but those who are united with Christ—what Israel was supposed to be! Let our striving be not with God but for God and all the blessings we have in Jesus Christ. I hope that we will be motivated by this glorious truth to pray more and bolder!
Have a blessed day!