Wrestling With God: Jesus

Intimacy with Jesus  

   Like Jacob we can be up close and personal with God too.  He wrestled with a Man all night long.   SO JACOB CALLED THE PLACE PENIEL, SAYING IT IS BECAUSE IN SAW GOD FACE TO FACE AND YET MY LIFE WAS SPARED. " (Gen. 32:30)  Peniel in Hebrew means 'face of God'.  I wonder how Jacob saw God face to face.  Some say through prayer, some say through a dream.  I think Jesus was physically present with him.  God came down to Jacob.  Matthew Henry puts it beautifully;  "The Angel who wrestled with Jacob was the second Person in the sacred Trinity, who was afterwards God manifest in the flesh, and who, dwelling in human nature, is called Immanuel."   WHICH MEANS GOD WITH US.

      The ultimate intimacy with God is through Jesus.  Jesus made it possible 2,000 years ago on the cross.  He made peace between us and God.   ...WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. (Rom. 5:1b)   GOD WAS ALSO PLEASED TO BRING EVERYTHING ON EARTH AND IN HEAVEN BACK TO HIMSELF THROUGH CHRIST. HE DID THIS BY MAKING PEACE THROUGH CHRIST'S BLOOD  SACRIFICED ON THE CROSS. (Col. 1:20 GW)  

     Just as Jacob prevailed with God and became Israel, we can too.  How do we?  We prevail  when we reach the end of ourselves, our human efforts,  and surrender to Him.  Our struggle is over.  I learned this the hard way.  I struggled against God until I was about 39 years of age.   He had been calling me deep inside since I was about 15.  It took me being flat on my back before I would come to Him.  On my sick bed, eaten up with cancer and decimated by chemotherapy I prevailed.  I realized I was dying.  I knew I couldn't even take a breath without God.  I surrendered to Him.  I asked Jesus just to get me to heaven, and get my children there some day too.  Finally, after 24 years of struggle I had peace with God and wasn't afraid of dying.  (Jesus subsequently did a miracle in me and instantly healed me of terminal cancer.)

     Come to Jesus.  We  turn to Him in all our life struggles.   Don't stop praying.  Jesus flows His mercy, grace, and forgiveness to us forever;  like a mighty river of his power.  GOD IS LOVE.