Solutions That Don't Work for Dealing with God

This week I'm reflecting on the life of Jacob, that great patriarch of the faith who also happened to be a a self-motivated, manipulative jerk. In particular, I'm studying the climax of his story, his encounter with God at Peniel (Gen. 32:22-32).

Jacob's life is a study in how not to please God. He lied. He cheated. He ran away from his problems. But he wouldn’t give up. This is Jacob’s greatest quality. He hungered for God’s best, and he sought it relentlessly. Although he used every wrong means to pursue it, Jacob had the right aim at heart. He wanted the blessing of God more than anything in the world.

Finally, alone, humbled, physically and emotionally broken, he received what he had been after so long.

As I think about the life of this great but deeply flawed man, I wonder about our lives and why we, too, so often use the wrong means (selfish ingenuity) in pursuit of the right goals (joy, contentment, love, achievement). Must every person have this Jacob-like experience of wrestling with God until their will (and body?) is broken?

What about you?  Have you tried solutions for dealing with God (and others) that don't work? What does--what was your breakthrough moment with God?

What experience brought you to the point of submitting your will to God's?

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