The reason you’re still here

Tuesday February 1, 2022

Bob Gass

1 min read

“I saw God…and…my life was spared.” Genesis 32:30 NIV

“Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.’ The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip” (vv. 30-31 NIV). The truth is, without God’s protective hand on your life, you wouldn’t be here today! The reason you didn’t die in the accident or that tumour didn’t claim you is because God is not finished with you yet. Do you remember when some of your friends (and your enemies) didn’t think you would make it? But God rescued you and placed you where you are today. After God finished wrestling with him, Jacob said, “My life was spared.” And so was yours, right? That’s because there is more to come. The Bible says, “God…creates new things out of nothing” (Romans 4:17 NLT). He wants to set in place in your life things that weren’t there before. Good things! But notice something very important: “Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak” (Genesis 32:24 NIV). When God deals with you on important issues, He does it one-on-one, not as part of the crowd. In fact, being in a crowd can keep you from hearing His voice. Being alone with God can feel threatening because your facade and ego get stripped away. Your first impulse may be to stay with the crowd, but you soon discover they can’t calm the restlessness in your spirit. That restlessness is God calling you to a meeting! So like Jacob, don’t be afraid to wrestle with Him until a new day breaks for you.