Genesis 32:24-26 English Standard Version

²⁴ And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵ When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. ²⁶ Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

I have wrestled with this scripture for years. At times I have wondered if perhaps Jacob was wrestling with himself. Perhaps I thought this way because I am a stubborn person and I wrestle with myself.

In us there is the flesh and the spirit and they are opposed to one another.

Galatians 5:17 English Standard Version (ESV) For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

This battle does not end just because the spirit is stronger. The flesh cries out “you’re killing me” when crucified. Yet as much as we put the old man to death, our flesh still remains. We recognize which thoughts are generated by the flesh and which are spirit. The spirit warns us not to “go there”.

We have a long list of memories about what happens when we gave in to the flesh in the past. We wrestle with temptation to our own hurt, just as Jacob was pained in the flesh. The idiom, “getting one’s nose out of joint” refers to the displeasure of not getting things our way.

May our zeal for the Lord be stubborn enough to win over the flesh, Amen?

Isaiah 26:4 English Standard Version (ESV) Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

Do we have trust issues or are we in denial?

Has anyone ever cheated on you? Has anyone broken a promise to you? Has anyone lied to you about important matters? Has anyone taken advantage of you?

I use the singular personal pronoun you because violations are personal. The more often trust has been broken the more we have a tendency to withhold trust. We might even deny trust to some who deserve to be trusted. Such is the case with trusting God.

How does God build trust in us?

He keeps His Word. His promises are yes and Amen. The fact that we have not yet seen all His promises come to fruition does not mean they will not. Understanding those promises in a realistic manner is important and we have covered much of that in the past. If we do not remember them, it is worth the time and effort to do the studies over again. Understanding a promise is just as important as keeping a promise.

For the moment it is a trust building exercise to identify and acknowledge what God has already done in our lives. Have we seen God’s good graces act in our life already. Give credit where credit is due. Are there points of action where it is obvious that God has been involved? God will not hold it against us if we overlook His good gracious acts. God does not hold a grudge.

Begin with those things God has changed in us that were not of our own effort. Have we been healed from addiction of any kind? Has the desire to stop smoking come with trying, as a gift from God? Has our God stopped us from anything that might have caused harm to us or others? Seeing His right hand at work in our lives is important but not always obvious. Have we examined events and seen God at work?

If the answer to any of that is yes, then trust is being built.