Wrestling Through

Matt and I have talked a lot as of late about "wrestling things through" with God. When some new idea about living in a more godly way hits our ears, our automatic response is a gut reaction-- a sick feeling in the pits of our stomachs. The "old man" in us is repulsed by the things of God, thus the sickly reaction.

We have found that we can either do one of two things with the sick feeling that comes from a newly revealed truth about God. We can either automatically dismiss what we've have heard because we're sure we've already settled that particular point in our theology, or we can do as the Bereans did. We can search the Bible for ourselves to see if what we have heard is indeed the truth. Often times the latter also entails a time of "wrestling through" in bringing the new idea before the Lord and asking the counsel of godly advisors. A prioritizing of time spent in God's word, time spent in prayer and taking the necessary time to seek out counsel is needed.

The one necessary ingredient that is required to "wrestle through" something is time. I've found that I can mask that "sick feeling" by being too busy. Then I don't have to take the time to chew on that new idea and do what it takes to work it through and apply it to my life in the way the Lord wills. When I don't take the time, I don't move on with God. My spiritual life becomes a stagnant pool, instead of a river of living water.

Today I began reading the book of Ruth again. All the knowledge Ruth had about the True God she got from her mother-in-law, Naomi. As I read the book again today, it struck me how easy it would have been for Ruth to follow her sister-in-law, Orpah, in staying in Moab. Everything in Moab was very familiar. Why rock the boat, why go to a new land with a completely different culture and customs to worship a God whom you don't even really know?

But Ruth did it. She determined to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem. I'm sure she had her share of things to "wrestle through" about her new life and new God when she got there, but she was rewarded for her efforts. God provided exceedingly abundantly above what Ruth could have asked or thought. She became the mother of Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David. And our Lord Jesus came from David's line. A Savior was provided to release us from our bondage to sin all because of God's sovereignty and a Moabite woman who was determined to "wrestle it through" and go on in obedience with her Lord.

Lord, I pray, let me be like Ruth, a woman who obeyed You in true faith and reaped the fruit of righteousness because of it.

But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following after you; for wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me." Ruth 1:16, 17