A Crisis Can Lead to Healing Choices
By Rick Warren
“This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket” (Genesis 32:24-25 NLT).
Are you in a crisis today? That means God is up to something! You’re about to be changed. You don’t have to stay the same. God is getting ready to make a change in your life.
The Bible teaches that our biggest struggle in life is with God because we want to be in control. We want to be God.
That was Jacob’s problem — he tried to control his life to such an extent that he even wanted to change the order of his birth. Jacob was a twin, and the Bible says when he came out of his mother’s womb, he was clinging to his older brother’s ankle, grappling to be the first one out. He spent a lifetime in conflict with his brother, Esau, but his biggest battle was with God.
One night he even tried to go one-on-one with God. Some people want to debate whether Jacob actually wrestled with God, but the Bible tells us in Hosea: “Even in the womb, Jacob struggled with his brother; when he became a man, he even fought with God” (Hosea 12:3 NLT).
I want you to think of the biggest problem you’ve got right now; it probably will come to mind quickly. But regardless of what the problem is, I suspect it all boils down to these two issues.
- “Will I obey God in this situation and do what he says is the right thing to do, whether I like it or not?” Or,
- “Will I trust God in this situation, letting him handle it?”
No matter what your problem is—financial, physical, relational, social, or vocational—your biggest problem is not your problem. The real problem is not obeying and trusting God. And that makes the problem bigger.
Have you ever been in a no-win situation? Perhaps you’re in one right now. Who do you think is behind that? God is! God often allows a crisis in our lives in order to get our attention. All of a sudden we’re laid flat on our backs and we’re forced to look up.
God loves you just the way you are, but he loves you far too much to let you stay stuck in your habits, hang-ups, and hurts. He wants to change you. He wants to help you grow, to be better, to be different, and to be all that you were meant to be. And so he allows a crisis.
Why? Because we rarely change until the pain we feel exceeds our fear of change. We don’t change when we see the light; we change when we feel the heat.
God can use your situation to move you to where you need to be. A crisis gets your attention and forces you to look toward God. Pray about this: In what areas are you struggling with God?
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Talk It Over
When do you find it most difficult to obey God?
When do you find it most challenging to trust God?
What role do obedience and trust play in the biggest challenge you’re facing right now?
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This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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