Devotional: “Wrestling with God”

Genesis 32:28, “Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel.”

The name “Israel” means “wrestles with God.” At times in our lives we all could possibly have our name changed to Israel, as we all wrestle with God, at some point in our lives. In particular, are those times of grief when we lose someone we love and all of our religious cliches seem empty and unfulfilling. We are taught as children the attributes of God – He is good, loving, kind, compassionate, all-powerful, all-knowing, and sovereign over His creations. Though all these things are true, we struggle and maybe even wrestle with how these attributes work in relation to death, grief, and loss.

Mentally we may ask, “If God is all-powerful, why did He allow my loved one to die?” Or maybe we ask, “If God is all-knowing, why does He not do something about it?” Or maybe, “If God is ever present, then where was He when my loved one died?” Death, grief, and loss often shatter our childlike faith and cause us to question the truths we have been taught all our lives.

We must remember that God did do something about it.

• Through men, sin entered the world and the “wages of sin is death…” (Romand 6:23)
• At the same time, “God demonstrated his love for us in this; while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
• And, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
• Because of this, we do not grieve “as others who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13) but have “victory through Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:57)
• Though death, grief, and loss are normal to every person, Christ did something about it! He defeated death and offers eternal life to those willing to repent and place their faith in Jesus Christ.
• Remember, when wrestling with God, He normally wins!