“The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.” – Genesis 32:31 NIV
There have been so many knee and hip replacements in the congregation that I’m beginning to wonder if anyone still has their own joints. Tami is recovering from her knee surgery on the 9th, and I know several of you have your own surgeries coming up. That means there will be even more people limping around the church in the weeks to come.
One of the most famous characters in the bible also had a limp. It wasn’t caused by a joint replacement, but by wrestling with a divine messenger. In Genesis 32, Jacob is preparing to meet his brother Esau for the first time in years. But first, he wrestles all night with someone who wins by dislocating Jacob’s hip.
Jacob has survived up to this point by his own cunning and scheming. (Remember how he tricked his father into blessing him, and conned his brother Esau out of his birthright?). But now Jacob literally wrestles with God. And he leaves with a new name…and with a limp. The limp reminds him of his need to depend on God, not his own strength and cunning. After he wrestles with God, he is a different person–a better person, but with a limp.
Both surgeries and Lent are times when we may wrestle with God. May these times change us, making us better persons. May even the limps teach us to depend on God.
God bless your week,
Pastor Mark