It is true that in this world we will have tribulations, and yet we are not to lose our joy or our hope— we are to be of good cheer. One of the most rewarding parts of my life is to be an encourager to the people of God; therefore, when personal tribulations come— how do I encourage myself to be of good cheer?
Like you, I must wrestle down what is “real on earth” by focusing on what is “real in heaven.”
Ten years ago, I faced one of those seasons of tribulation. It came without invitation or warning, and I was not prepared for what I was about to walk through. On a cold winter’s Sunday, my husband, my son, and I were in a terrible head-on collision during an ice storm.
From that moment on, for the next five years, physical pain became my constant companion (not my friend but my ever-present companion). It was not a companion that I’d choose or even one that I accepted as a permanent resident; yet I could not seem to evict it. Each day, it greeted me with its unwelcome demands, and it would wake me throughout the night hours to remind me that it was still present. The presence of pain wrestled to be larger in my soul than the presence of God.
The wrestle was real and constant, yet I knew that the victory of my soul had already been won by Christ. I had to learn to take my thoughts and my pain captive so that they did not become the narrator of my life.
We all face seasons of some sort of pain that seeks to usurp our eternal joy due to our temporary existence. During those times, we must daily (or even hourly) take every thought captive, because tribulations come with a narrative that will try to overcome the truth that is our hope—the truth that Jesus has overcome the world.
There are seasons that come to every believer where we are like Jacob and must wrestle down our souls in order to lay hold of His blessing.
His peace is my companion of choice. I have the choice to take the hand of peace or to embrace the circumstances that rob my life of peace.
When physical pain forced its way into my life, I had to choose to take the hand of my Prince of Peace and allow His peace to guard my heart and mind through the time of tribulation. There truly is “transcending power” that flows when peace becomes our prevailing reality. His peace becomes the gateway for joy, wonder, beauty, hope, and faith to enter through. As we lay hold of peace, pain must bow down and silence the voice that mocks faith and truth.
Still…the wrestle can be so very real and very hard. We may even come out of it with a limp that reminds us of our human frailties.
“The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.” Psalm 29:11
No matter what your personal tribulation is, there is strength and peace found in the Lord. When Jacob wrestled with God, he was wrestling down an overwhelming fear and anxiety that had gripped his soul.
Jacob had just fled the mistreatment from his father-in-law that still lingered in his soul, and now he faced the threat of his brother Esau and the vast army that stood with him. Every direction was marked by fear, and yet Jacob had been given a promise. God promised him that he could return to the land of his father, the land where his brother Esau lived, and he would be shown kindness. But his life was controlled by the driving fears that had become his constant and unwanted companion. Then came that long, dark night when he wrestled until the promise and blessing of God prevailed— changing his name and overcoming the false identity that had defined his existence.
Frederick Buechner, a Christian author, describes Jacob’s wrestle as the “magnificent defeat of the human soul at the hands of God.”
The season or long night of wrestling down a false identity is real for each of us. We all have our dark night where we wrestle down the fears and anxieties of the soul that seeks to define our path and identify our lives by the weaknesses of our souls. But God has a greater truth that redefines our paths with kindness and renames us with His victory.
Jacob’s name in the Bible meant “Supplanter or deceiver,” but after the long night of wrestling, it was changed to Israel, which means, “May God Prevail.”
Often, our greatest trials or struggles seek to name us and define us wrongly (and negatively). Are we willing to wrestle down the deceiver so that God’s truth in our lives will prevail? Have the struggles that have followed you (fear, pain, pride, sin, deception) defrauded your life? It’s time for God to prevail and change your name!
Peace will usher you into the surrender of your true identity and path. Though you have wrestled against the fears of your soul to gain the promise of God, the Lord will prevail. He will prevail for you as you allow His promise of blessings to be the dawn of your new day. The dark night of pain and fear gives way to the promise of His blessings and kindness.
“I will exalt you, Lord, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalms 30:1-5
Many have faced a night of wrestling, a night of weeping— BUT JOY COMES IN THE MORNING! The dawn is breaking, and the new morning is announcing your new name.
Your life will forever be marked by God’s prevailing promise. His kindness lies before you, and all that is behind you has come to a close.
Kathi’s new book SEVEN LETTERS has just been released. Within the pages of this book is the counsel of the Lord for His Church— yesterday, today, and forever.
Purchase here.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Inscribe Ministries
Featured Image by Ruslan Sikunov from Pixabay
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