Blessed to Limp

Everyone has experienced the consequences of false hope. That's because hope is different from choosing what you want. C. S. Lewis said, "Most people, if they really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that what they want acutely cannot be had in this world." Eventually everyone gets to a crossroads in life where they come face to face with God and reality.

 

          Jacob faced uncertainty the night before he was to meet his brother. As he tried to sleep, Genesis 30:24 tells us a man wrestled with him until daybreak, but Jacob refused to let the man go. Then the man informed him his name would now be “Israel, because you struggled with God and have overcome.” 

          Jacob would carry a permanent reminder of experiencing God and being blessed by him. The angel of God touched the socket of his hip, resulting in a permanent limp. This experience would strengthen Jacob's hope for a future blessed by God to be passed on to his children who were receptive to trusting in the God of hope.  

Surviving a Personal Crisis with God's Help - Part 1

Can you imagine life without electricity, indoor plumbing, and the automobile? How would you survive? It's impossible even to consider how radically your life would change. Personal crises can be so disruptive that your very survival appears questionable. Seldom does anyone get to cruise through life without having their world personally turned upside down.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the thirty-second President of the United States, had to struggle for survival when he was struck down by polio. Following this attack which left him paralyzed in both legs, he spend months in despair and depression. Food, clothing, and shelter were never an issue, but survival reaches beyond these basics needs.

God permits us to experience personal crises so we can realize his plans and purpose for us. Change and growth inspired by personal crises open our hearts to God's unconditional love. Experiencing his love gives us courage to make needed changes. God never permits you to be tested beyond your ability to survive, but gives you strength to endure any crisis.