A Victorious Limp

Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. (Genesis 32:24-25; 31)

 The dark night of the soul – an experience which can last literally one night, but more likely goes on for days, months and sometimes even years. A time when pain and confusion abound and prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling. God feels distant, even absent, and your lack of understanding of why you are in this situation, shakes your faith, and makes you cry out in despair.

 Job had no idea why his life had crashed around him. If anyone experienced a “dark night of the soul” it was Job. But at the end of his ordeal Job came into a new understanding of God and went on to a rich and full life. Side note: God seldom gives an explanation, more often He give revelation – revelation of Himself.

 Even Jesus had to suffer the experience of the dark night of the soul – the Cross. A time when He felt abandoned by His father and He cried out in agony. But from that dark night came the greatest victory of all time – the resurrection and the saving of mankind.

 It is only later when the darkness has passed and the sun has come out again, that you gain perspective and realize that not only was God always there, behind the scenes quietly working away on your behalf, you now see what He was trying to teach you and the value of that experience. The night of struggle resulted in a deeper faith and a deeper understanding in your Christian walk.

 However, often like Jacob, we don’t walk away from the struggle without scars and wounds remaining which will never be completely healed in this lifetime. However instead of those being a burden they become marks of victory. You may walk with a limp for remainder of your life, but that limp will be a victorious one. A reminder of a time when you grew and matured and your relationship with God moved to a higher level.