Walk of Life – Day 9 – February 2020 – Thoughts from the Book of Proverbs – Love!
Love to Know the Holy One
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10
Knowing someone and knowing about someone are two totally different things. We know about Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Jawaharlal Nehru, Bill Gates, and so many other famous personalities. But do you know any of them personally, in most likelihood, we do not.
Most of us know all the stories in the Bible, we have heard about all the great men and women, but how many of us know the Lord Jesus Christ personally? How many of us have a personal relationship with Christ? Let us consider Jacob, who was later called Israel. He cheated his brother twice, claiming both the birthright and the blessing, ran away from the wrath of his brother, was cheated several times by Laban, first for his daughters and then his flock…but this man with such a confused past went on to form the nation of Israel with his 12 sons being the 12 tribes of Israel. It is amazing how God could transform this deceiver into His chosen, precious, select people. Do you know the turning point in Jacob’s life, it was his confrontation with God, the ruler of heaven and earth.
He was returning with fear and doubt in his heart and he met God face to face and wrestled with Him and yet prevailed and the Lord said you will no longer be called Jacob but Israel. And Jacob being hurt by the Lord said I will not leave you till you bless me. Why did God have to meet Jacob and wrestle with him. The Lord wrestled the whole night and then finally touched the socket in Jacob’s hip. It is strange that God didn’t do that right at the beginning. He would have won right away but God wrestled with him to show him his own vulnerability. He may have cheated people but he cannot cheat God. He had to go through the fire and submit wholeheartedly.
“When the wrestling match began, Jacob was a broken, rusted, useless tool lying in the corner – of no use to his master. At confession time, Jacob, as the tool, is up in the Master’s hand begging to be plunged back into the fire to be remelted – as painful as fire and confession can be. He’s saying, “OK, Lord, I’m broken and rusted; reshape me into what You need me to be – make me a useful tool.” Now God can use Jacob. Now he can have what God wanted to give him as a gift – the blessings given to Abraham and Isaac. Now he is ready to do God’s will – God’s way. He has known God’s will all along and how it was supposed to affect his life, but Jacob had been saying to God, “I’ll do it MY way.” Now he’s ready to say, “Your way.”
Wrestling with God. The nerve of this man. Who would attempt such a thing. But, as I finished reading this account, I thought, I know a man who is wrestling with God right this minute. I pray that he comes out of it realizing he needs reshaping and asking for the fire and the beating on the anvil. Then, I wondered, have I ever wrestled with God?” – Max Lucado
We know the Holy One only when we have a personal encounter with Him. Like Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, we fall at His feet, realize His sovereignty in our lives and say Lord, not my will but thine be done. Full complete surrender, all to Him I freely give, no my way and my will but I begin to know Him and experience His faithfulness that I can follow Him with no reservations whatsoever.
