Pat[ients/ience] in pain; The progressive wrestle.
Genesis 32: Jacob wrestles with God
Recently, my posts have been getting longer and longer. It's become evident that as
so much knowledge seems to overflow out of the Bible, I need to slow down and go at the pace that first of all is set by God, and secondly a pace people (including me) can really digest the word, rather than tackling a whole topic in one Go and trying to boil it down. Therefore I shall try and centre my messages around a single concept, and keep it as simple as i feel necessary (which is probably close to impossible, so Lord help me😋)
In that knowledge, I'm going to write about patience as a part of the fruit of the spirit (this will most likely get split into a few parts), and this word came to me really in my eyes the wrong way round. I got so many different scriptures and examples first before I addressed whether it was centred around anything, and was getting rather frustrated as I didn't have the patience (**🥁) to wait for what God wanted to show and reveal. And it has only hit after about 2 weeks that they are all centred around patience. I'll probably be doing another couple of posts on this same topic..
Patience in Galatians 5:22 is defined as such (in the amplified bible): "... patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting]...". When defined this way, patience is a powerful act, rather than a passive reaction to what happens around us. This means that out of your actions are able to flow the other parts of the fruit of the spirit (notice how the fruit of the spirit is singular, as they are one part of God rather than multiple individual attributes God represents.) The NKJV references patience as longsuffering, which isn't just simply the ability to be patient, it's how you act and interpret the event set before you. There is a great message by Pastor Stephen Furtick called The Power Of Interpretation, that I'll leave at the end, alongside of a message by Pastor Michael Todd, The only payment is patience.
Before writing, I felt that God had placed two different verses in the Bible on my heart; firstly Psalm 121:1-2: "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth." Secondly Deuteronomy 6:5: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being](AMP)." Through these verses, there was a connection that I feel was revealed to me that i'd never actively noticed beforehand. David in psalms is known to be a very emotional writer, and very much wrote what was on his heart (his answering of his own question quite neatly demonstrates that.) As he understands that his help (or strength) comes from God, Therefore when Deuteronomy says Love God with all your strength, that's not a strength that comes from you, that's a strength that comes from God. So therefore, in essence, God wants us to actively stick by him, and when we feel we have no strength to go on, that strength comes from God. That is what patience is, it's the active choice of continual "suffering" (longsuffering)/pressure because of trust in God that he is sufficient in your weakness. Out of that act, Love develops as explained in Deuteronomy. That's why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9: "Each time he [The Lord] said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." This is so profound, because most of us think that when God is blessing us, he is most prevalent in our lives, but many of us forget that patience and therefore struggle is almost always a prerequisite to blessing.
The text I want to draw from is Genesis 32, In which Jacob wrestles with God. In short summary of his life and therefore Genesis 25 - 32, Jacob born as the son of Issac, with a twin brother named Esau. Jacob means "deceiver" in Hebrew, and his character much reflects his name; He stole his brother's birthright as the first born, then later proceeded (with his mother Rebekah's help) to deceive Isaac (his father) for Esau's blessing as the firstborn, and then fled because Esau was (unsurprisingly) angry. He flees off to Paddan-aram to his uncle Laban, falls in love with his cousin, works for 7 years to marry said cousin Rachel (his uncle Laban's daughter,) gets tricked by Laban to marrying Leah (Rachel's older sister), works yet another 7 years for Rachel again (therefore marrying both his cousins), Jacob has a number of children with both Leah, Rachel and both their personal maids, then tricks Laban into practically giving him all his livestock, and then God calls him to go back to his home. He flees without telling Laban, Laban pursues him, later reconciling with a meal, and on returning home, his brother has prepared an army to kill Jacob. Jacob afraid, prays that God deliver him from the hands of his brother.
Now that you're up to speed (And really, you should Go back and read from Genesis 25-32 in detail, it's really interesting and brings up so many questions, but another time), let us delve into the wrestle. Now just remember, His brother has set out to kill him. His prayer in Genesis 32:9-11 is one of fear, asking God to make sure his brother does not harm him nor his family. Now, knowing Jacob's backstory, he was blessed by God but had gone wayward in many aspects. This prayer seems more out of desperation than out of daily devotion, as he has strayed far from God. He's not in a great place. Then the following happens in Genesis 32:24-32 (This is a lot of Bible, so bear with me): So Jacob was left alone, and a [b]Man [came and] wrestled with him until daybreak. When the Man saw that He had not prevailed against Jacob, He touched his hip joint; and Jacob’s hip was dislocated as he wrestled with Him. Then He said, “Let Me go, for day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing on me.” So He asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but [c]Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked Him, “Please tell me Your name.” But He said, “Why is it that you ask My name?” And He declared a blessing [of the covenant promises] on Jacob there. So Jacob named the place Peniel (the face of God), saying, “For I have seen God face to face, yet my life has not been snatched away.” Now the sun rose on him as he passed Penuel (Peniel), and he was limping because of his hip. Therefore, to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh by the tendon of the hip.
As Patience lies at the centre of this message, I wanted to focus on the different ways God confronts us with situations out of which spring patience. Because once again, patience is defined as how we act whilst waiting, and therefore, when we receive "the fruit of the spirit", it is mostly prompted out of us through our response to a situation that seemingly completely counters that part of the fruit. And therefore, through this many acts of patience are revealed:
1. God first: God's patience in Love.
When Jacob wrestles through the night with God, I believe it is a parallel represents his long years of wrestling between what is right with God and what's feels right in the moment with man. And God has finally brought this trial to an end in this night of literally wrestling with him, and after that trial is over, he is allowed to b blessed. Jacob overpowers him, but God is still more powerful. This represents the dialogue of relationship between him and God, and the fact that he ends in pain, and he carries that pain after the fact represents the residue of his pain reminding him who he is with God. And the reason why this is, is context. He's in the process of giving, and he's trying to make peace with his brother, in contrast to him taking from Laban previously; It's a past he wishes to leave behind against a future he wants to move towards.
God blesses people who are willing to turn to him, regardless of what level they are in their process. God knew his mandate as the father of nations long before he came to terms with it, and therefore God had to be patient in Jacob's realisation of his calling.
What am I essentially saying? Patience starts with God; After all it's from the Holy spirit. His patience comes out of an endless love/grace toward us. Just as you need to lean on the Holy Spirit to have patience, God IS the patience that waits on us to turn back towards his promise, and that is why I say that we are all patients in pain. If you walk to God for your problems but want him to give you a perfect health report rather than to tend to your wounds, then you will only end up more wounded.
2. Just the right fight: Godly pressure.
The Wrestle with God also equates to the pressure that God places on you to bring you to a better place. God never places him under any pressure that he is not able to overcome, and therefore allows him to to have a toughening encounter with God. This is the result of his blessing, as God gave Rebekah (His mother) this word in Genesis 25:23 before he was born: "And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.” Jacob's 12 children are the founding [fore]fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. This means that God has a plan for us way before we do, and we often don't believe that what he has planned is best for us, and our plans are greater than his own. Jacob's children were born out of his familial dysfunction, but what man would discard, God chose to bless.
You have to have the patience to trust God, as he places what many may interpret as an obstacle as a stepping stone to what he has planned for your life, and that starts from God.
3. The wrestling reminder: I stand with God.
After the wrestle, Jacob (Now Israel) comes to terms with God for what is one of the first times in a very long time. He really seems to have had it all in life without any major consequences, and I believe that this event is to remind him of who his God is, and who God has called him to be, and his wrestle and injury a consequence of his actions. This moment is so profound, as the tribes of Israel are established out of this encounter. Whilst the notion of fighting God seems arbitrary at first, it therefore makes sense in this context. It questions all that he has done, and therefore represents a cleansing of spirit, whilst also encapsulating a reminder of a Godly reality of what is at stake.
You may ask how this is a demonstration/act of patience, as this event happens only for a seemingly short amount of time in relation to what some may refer to as "real world suffering", and how this then applies to the modern day. It is no surprise that the Old testament at times has a hard time relating to our current world's reality, as this level of "drama" doesn't tend to happen in our daily lives, and instead often takes a more subtle or understated tone. However what can be drawn from this is a Godly vision to stick by God. After he finishes wrestling, in Genesis 32:29 it reads:"Then Jacob asked Him, “Please tell me Your name.”...", which I would say is a fair question to someone you have been fighting all night. Jacob has a lot of questions as we do, and when were confronted with conflict, whether emotional or spiritual, physical or intellectual, faith is paramount, and patience is faith expressed. Our world is different, as Jesus became flesh (after this point) to die for those who believed. God extended his mighty hand of grace over our lives, and therefore, we no longer pay the wages of sin if we choose to come to Christ (which is great), But this does not mean that we no longer have any conflicts.
I believe that in our age, Jesus's life has become a sort of cliché as his story is so well known. But we often forget, Jesus was the Son of God, but his purpose was to defeat death so that all who believe and trust in him have eternal life. Inside of that purpose, it was paramount that he had to die, better yet suffer; it was the greatest act of longsuffering.
I think that many reject the patience to stand by God and act on his will, because we often believe that faith in God is a prerequisite to a comfortable life. Jacob was one of the most blessed figures in the Bible (despite his shortcomings), And with his initial blessing and right before his blessing directly from God, there was conflict. God often presents us with conflicts that we know we could not face without him, and this fruit of patience is so profound in allowing you to reach through and past your breakthrough, and become better in Christ in that process. And many believe the breakthrough to be God's blessing on Jacob's life, but looking past that, we are able to see that the breakthrough is in so many areas. He meets and reconciles with his brother afterwards, he has a major experience with God himself and his name is changed to Israel, establishing a discarding of his previous label as a"deceiver", therefore marking him and reestablishes his marking as someone chosen by God. Some practical ways that this testing is so short (regardless of the reconciliation with his brother the very next day) are as follows:
1. Pressure influences Patience
He was fighting God relentlessly, and chose to stick and fight the conflict in front of him instead of bail and back out. Consistent commitment before you even have any sign of breakthrough and faithful choice to continually serve God for who he is regardless of positioning - That is Patience. Furthermore, God wouldn't be fighting with Jacob if he didn't know how important he was as the figure he would become for the generations to come.
2. Relative timing
The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:8-9: "Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. 9 The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.(AMP)." Let us not forget that patience is a part of the fruit of the spirit. That means that before you ever thought about it or considered it, it was and is a part of God. What we perceive on our own as justice is not a reliable measurement, as you alone are viable to your own feelings, your own level of intellect, your character and your confirmation bias, and therefore people like myself ask why the testing period was not longer, and forget about the relentless nature of a literal confrontation with God, let alone understanding that your capacity of understanding is so greatly limited. God respects your capacity and wants to expand you past your perception of it, but only if you are actively serving him, actively worshipping him, actively heeding to his word when conflict arises.
3. Overflowing Patience: Godly example.
We often forget who patience is for. Psalm 23: 5 says: "...You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows." The fruit of the spirit is a blessing, and is not meant to just be contained for ourselves, they are supposed to overflow into the lives of others.
This seems on a surface level to be a really simple concept, and that's because theoretically, it is. But being patient enough to actively trust God, and knowing that you have that responsibility to let go of your understanding in order to lean in on God's gift of active patience so that blessing may flow out from the Holy Spirit through you to others... that in action is hard to do. And ultimately, patience comes from a place of faith, and faith comes from the word. I talk and have talked about the how important it is to read your bible so much, but that's only because it is the foundation of so much restoration, realisation, revelation and reality; look how much poured out of a seemingly weird "Old testament" text for myself through this word. If you allow God to be on the throne of your heart, start at the word and leave your heart internally open to receive what God speaks to you, when pressure is applied, you'll know that that is that active waiting time before your breakthrough. Paul understood it in Philippians 1:13: "... As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard[b] and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ." When you have this mindset, then you will embrace pressure and hardship, because you know that with God on your side, you and others will be better because of it.
As promised, I have left both "The Power of Interpretation" and "The Only Payment Is Patience" Below.
God bless. ❤️
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