Today's Devotional
February 19, 2007
Subject: Stubborn Faith
Genesis 32:25 - 26 "When the man saw that he could not win against Jacob, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that it was dislocated as they wrestled. Then the man said, "Let me go; it's almost dawn." But Jacob answered, "I won't let you go until you bless me."
I haven't had such a physical weekend like this past one in a long time. It was man against the horse or should I say, men against the horses. After all at one point there were about 6 of us trying to force a stubborn horse into a horse trailer. I'm almost embarrassed to talk about how long it took us to get two horses into the trailer. Nevertheless, we prevailed, after a couple of broken lead-ropes, trailer ties, one halter and my left arm (not broken but pulled a muscle I believe). Of course none of that includes the cost to the stubborn horse, who hit her head and cut her left leg on the trailer. What a fight!
That fight reminded me of Jacob wrestling with the angel and exemplifies how we should be with our faith. If you remember the story, Jacob wrestled, struggled and held on to the angel and wouldn't let go until he got what he wanted, a blessing from the angel.
A few different times while we were struggling with attempting to load the second horse, many bystanders suggested, "why not just take the one and get the second one later?" That's when my stubbornness and dogged determination kicked in. The horses were going to go into that trailer one way or another.
That type of persistence is great for getting horses into trailers, but what about that same sense of perseverance when it comes to believing God. How long can you hold on to His promises? Do we hold on to God's word and what He has said after we've been fighting for hours, days or years? Do we continue to believe when others say we should change our objective or try something else? When do we give up on Him?
Today think about that. Winning against a stubborn horse is okay, but real success comes from a stubborn faith that won't let go until God has His way. Hold on to God today.
