May the mumbling commence!
It is all in the family. In Genesis 31, deception makes its rounds. First, God calls Jacob to return to his father’s house. Jacob responds by gathering his family and secret. They decide to leave, gather all their stuff, and left. They left while Laban was away shearing his sheep. Laban, a deceiver, was deceived. Then, the lovely Rachel got in on the act. Without the knowledge of her husband or father, she stole the household gods from her father. And she hides her guilt (and the death it would have caused because of Jacob’s words) by feigning her monthly period and sitting on the evidence.
And there was no love lost between Jacob and Laban. That’s why I find it so humorous when people use the quote from a part of verse 49 as a closing benediction. “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.” These words were spoken between two men who had nothing but distrust for one another. Talk about using a piece of Scripture out of context!
Now, let’s pay attention to prayers that happen in Genesis 32, when Jacob was preparing to reunite with his brother Esau. First, Jacob sends messengers to announce to Esau that Jacob is returning home with great wealth. Esau responds by coming out to meet him with four-hundred men. Knowing that his brother Esau once wanted to kill him, Jacob began to fear for himself and his family and his possessions. What would Esau do to him? Jacob decided to split his company into two – that way if Esau attacks one, the other might escape.
Then Jacob pauses to pray to God. He reminds God of his command to return to his homeland. He gives thanks for the way God has caused him to prosper and admits he does not deserve such kindness. He shares his fear with God about Esau and closes the prayer by reminding God of his promise to prosper him and his family.
After his prayer, Jacob seems to change his mind on how to deal with Esau. Prayer can change the pray-er! Jacob chooses gifts to send ahead of him to meet his brother Esau. Perhaps, Jacob was letting go of the ownership of some of his possessions. Perhaps (and more likely) Jacob was trying to bribe his brother and save his and his family’s skins.
So, we have a prayer by Jacob and a response to prayer also by Jacob. Then, the long night comes. I, too, have known some long nights – those nights before something pivotal would happen on the rising of the sun the next day. Jacob got no sleep that night. Yeah, I’ve had nights like that.
And Jacob wrestles. Jacob wrestles with a mysterious man all night. It’s the first reference in the Scriptures that relates to a sport that I know about. Wrestling may be one of the oldest if not the oldest sports known to humanity. I’ve taken the Buhler wrestling team to a couple of different matches now. I’ve watched some of the matches. Though Buhler has a wrestling “team,” let me tell you – when the match starts their teammate is all alone on the mat with their opponent.
Wrestling is a test of strength, endurance, and will. It is painful, hot, sweaty, and smelly (I know, I’ve driven the wrestlers on the way back from the match). And, here, we have an image of prayer as wrestling.
Well, I often ask for things in my prayers – my will against the will of God. The Bible talks about praying unceasingly – sounds like a test of endurance. And, when we notice God’s will, we have a test of our strength when we need to adjust or even change something in our lives – like Jacob changing his plan for interacting with his brother Esau. Yeah, prayer is a test of strength, endurance and will. And Jacob received a new name, Israel. He struggled with God and man and “won”. Jacob/Israel won because he persevered and started on the road to change, to be the man God had made him to be.
I give thanks this day for prayer. I give thanks this day for a loving God who will listen to me. I give thanks that prayer has and can still change me, to keep me on the path to being the man God has made me to be. And may it be true wrestling – not just that fake stuff that the pro wrestlers do. Hmm… Maybe that was the kind of prayer Jesus was talking about being done by the spiritual leaders of his day. Let’s experience the pain, the heat, the sweat, the blood, the tears, and, yes, even the odors of prayer done right.
Enough for today…
Peace Out
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