SHEPHERD TO SHEEP
GIVE ME A
BREAK!
(Gen 32:24) Then Jacob was left alone; and a
Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
Some people
think they need a break from all their problems. Other’s think they need a break of good luck
to launch them into a better life. But
what we really need is a breaking of our pride and self-sufficiency and to let
the Lord take over the control of our lives.
That’s what Jacob learned in his wrestling match with the angel that
memorable night that left him with a hip out of joint. And it’s what we need to learn as we turn
from wrestling with the Lord to trusting in the Lord. That’s the break we really need!
God had
worked on Jacob for twenty years under the hand of Laban. They were the toughest years of his
life. God had been breaking him of his
self-reliance. Jacob had come a long way
but there was more breaking to be done.
There at the river Jabbok, Jacob met his match. The angel of the Lord came and wrestled with
him all night. Jacob kept up a good
match until the Lord put his hip out of joint.
Now he was finally broken. Jacob
was weakened so all he could do now was cling until the breaking of day. He wouldn’t let go until the Lord finally
blessed him. How broken are you? Are you still wrestling with God in your life
or have you let go and started clinging?
What does it
take to break a person? For Jacob it was
a physical break in his hip. For others
it might be the same…a physical breakdown of health. For others it might be a breakdown in their
marriage. It could be some kind of
reversal. It could be finances, a broken
heart, or a broken dream. What does God
have to put out of joint so we can fully yield to Him?
It’s better
to break than to be broken. (Pro 29:1) He
who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and
that without remedy. Keep a soft
heart. (Hosea 10:12) Sow for yourselves
righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to
seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you. And stay
humble! (Psa 34:18) The LORD is near to
those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.
Jacob
received a name change. No longer would
he be called Jacob which means “deceiver.” Now he would be called Israel which
means “governed by God.” He went from
being a self-made man to a God-made man.
Now the Lord could really use him and through him build the twelve
tribes of Israel where the Abrahamic covenant would be fulfilled on through
David and then to Christ Himself.
Having you
been waiting for your break? Let God
give you the one you really need. Tell
God…GIVE ME A BREAK. And He will. It will be the positive adjustment you need
to be all God intended you to be for His glory!
Louie
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