Nowhere to Run

In the book of Genesis we get to read of Jacob's incredible encounter with God - where he literally wrestles with God all night.  Now I've had some sleepless nights, those where your mind just won't stop and God seems to be talking to me about something instead of letting me sleep.  Usually it's something he has been pointing out to me for a while and I have been resisting it.  But Jacob physically wrestles with God all night.  He even has the injured hip to prove it.  And this is a huge turning point in Jacob's life, because every other time there was a conflict, there was a tough moment, Jacob has run away.  When Esau was after him, he ran.  When he and his father-in-law Laban disagreed, he ran.  But this encounter with God comes at a time when there is nowhere left to run.  There is nothing left to do but stop and face God.  And the awesome part it that once Jacob does, once he stops running away, he gets to be blessed by God.

Now I don't think any of you have had to run away from your twin brother because you tricked and lied your way into stealing his inheritance and his birthright.  I don't think any of you ended up married to two sisters after your father-in-law tricked you into marrying the older one first even though you just wanted to marry the younger one.  But there are times where all of us have run away.  There are times when all of us have tried to keep ourselves busy and distracted instead of just facing God and letting Him deal with something in our lives.  And right now, with our current orders to practice social distancing and to stay home as much as we can, it might be starting to feel like there is nowhere to run.  But here's the thing - that's actually a good thing.  Jacob had spent all his life running.  When he finally had nowhere else to run and literally wrestled with God he came out different on the other side.  Not different because of what God did to his hip, but he literally came out as different person with a different name.  You see that was the moment when God changes his name from Jacob to Israel.  That is the moment when God gave him an identity that his descendants still carry to this day.  That didn't happen until Jacob came to a point of having nowhere to run.  It was at his low moment that God could finally reach him, and that is what so many of us miss out on sometimes.  Yes there are difficult things happening right now, but God can use them as an opportunity to bless us in ways He couldn't otherwise.  Kyle Idleman says this in his book "Don't Give Up"

In your loneliness, there is an opportunity to discover his presence.
In your fear, there is an opportunity to discover his peace.
In your weakness, there is an opportunity to discover his strength.
In your pain, there is an opportunity to discover his purpose.
In your shame, there is an opportunity to discover his grace.
In your darkness, there is an opportunity to discover his light.

I don't know what God wants you to discover about him during this time, but I do know that He can make it happen if we will stop running from Him.  It might take some wrestling through the night, but God will bless you for it. You won't come out of it as the same person you were before. Imagine what it will be like when we can all come back together and share our stories of wrestling with God, our stories of what God helped us to discover when there was nowhere to run.

Love you guys - see you soon.