Day 32

So I sort of found a flaw in what I wrote yesterday. However I do not really see it as a flaw but more of as a misunderstanding. When the scripture says "the Word was God", it is somewhat hard to understand but in the last verse that I want to address from this section, I find the full understanding of this. Verse 14 states, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have see his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." It was my understanding that the Word was referring to the Bible, but in this context, it refers to Jesus as being the word and then becoming flesh. This makes sense when you go back and read that, "the Word was God" because the trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) shows that they are all one in the same so not only was Jesus in the beginning, but he was with God, and he was God. Go back and read the passage substituting "The Word" for "Jesus" and see how it all makes sense. You learn something new everyday and when you seek God, he reveals himself to you, all you have to do is seek him.

Do you remember when I used that "Nooma" video as a reference to Jacob in the Old Testament? Well I have been thinking about a song all day and as I was searching for what God had for me, I stumbled upon this section titled "Jacob Wrestles With God." The section is rather short and it states, "That night, Jacob got up an took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, 'let me go, for it is daybreak.' But Jacob replied 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.' The man asked him 'What is your name?' 'Jacob,' he answered.  Then the man said 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.' Jacob said, 'Please tell me your name.' But he replied, 'why do you ask my name?' Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, 'It is because I was God face to face, and yet my life was spared.' The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hp, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon." If you remember what I wrote previously about this verse when I talked about the video, this was basically Jacob's "test" to see if he was ready to become who God had called him to be. See it is okay to wrestle with God as long as it is in the right context. Obviously you do not want to wrestle with God because you are simply upset or you are falling away and want to justify your falling away by putting it on God. But rather wrestle with Him in prayer and when things are tough so that you can understand what is going on. The more that we call out to God, the more he hears us and knows that we are seeking him. If we ignore him, it is hard for him to remember our voice because we have been a stranger to Him. Do not be concerned with frivolous things when it comes to God, but try to understand the big picture. 

I have been applying this very concept to my own life everyday since I started this blog. I know God has a bigger plan for my life and though I do not understand everything that has happened to me up to this point, I need to continue to trust Him and learn from Him. The main thing I need to do is prepare myself for when my test comes and the question is, will I pass or will I fail? The other thing I see here, is do not give up on God because even when the fight got tough for Jacob (he was wrestling with a dislocated hip), he still fought the fight and finished the "race" just a Paul said he did in 2nd Timothy 4:7. Keep the faith and do not ever lose hope. I have such a hard time understanding this simple concept sometimes and it should be one of the first things that comes to my mind when temptation presents itself. I know that God wants to bless me and those around me, but it is up to me to give him the opportunity to just as Jacob did. Unlike we do most of the time, God will come through with his promises to us, they might now come on our timing, but that is why it is necessary to wrestle with the Lord and continue to seek his face. 

The song that I have been thinking of is again by the band Skillet and it is titled "Yours to Hold" and it goes,  

"I see you standing here,

But you're so far away 

Starving for your attention 

You don't even know my name 

You're going through so much 

But I know that I could be the one to hold you 

Chorus: 

Every single day 

I find it hard to say 

I could be yours alone 

You will see someday 

That all along the way 

I was yours to hold 

I was yours to hold 

I see you walking by 

Your hair always hiding your face 

I wonder why you've been hurting 

I wish I had some way to say 

You're going through so much 

Don't you know that I will be the one to hold you 

Bridge: 

I'm stretching but you're just out of reach 

You should know 

I'm ready when you're ready for me 

And I'm waiting for the right time 

For the day I catch your eye 

To let you know 

That I'm yours to hold 

Outro: 

I'm stretching but you're just out of reach 

I'm ready when you're ready for me"

To me it seems as if this song was written from God's point of view. He sees us but we seem so far away because we choose to ignore him sometimes. He starves for our attention but some do not even know his name. If we just would give him the chance, he would hold us and help us through our problems. He sees the pain of the world and wishes there was some way to reach out to people but Christians tend to ignore the needs of others and they go on living hurt and broken. He stretches but sometimes we are just out of reach and he is always ready for us when we decide to turn around and he waits for that day when he catches us so that he can tell us that everything is going to be okay and he is here to comfort us. 

Think about the song and where you fit into it. Also, how about when your test in God comes around, will you pass or fail? Think about it...

Hope you all have a great day and don't hesitate to leave a comment ;)

Joseph Robinson