Struggling with God Part II

The story of Jacob continues to amaze me. He continues to deceive and connive to get his way, and God continues to bless. God's blessing to Jacob was the he would "give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness-an abundance of grain and new wine." God follows through with his promise even though Jacob continues to live like a conniving son of a gun. But, the interesting thing is his struggle with God continues. So here is Jacob, he comes into the land of his Uncle Laban. He gets two wives, who in their competition for Jacob's love, bare him son after son after son, even if it's not of themselves. And when they themselves can't bare children, they offer Jacob their maidservants to bear more children from them. And the 12 tribes of Israel are born. Ahh what a Beautiful beginning......? Jacob then THINKS he is in control of getting rich and powerful. Jacob wants to go home but Laban insists that he stays since Jacob has worked hard for Laban and increased Laban's livestock in great numbers. So Jacob says "ok, I'll stay, but since I have worked so hard for you, give me some of the livestock. I'll even take the crappy livestock, the ones with blemishes. And I'll keep any livestock that is born with blemishes and give you any "clean" ones." So..... what does Jacob do, what anyone would do and place blemished sticks in front of the mating livestock so that the mating livestock would see the blemished sticks and bear blemished livestock. I think I learned it my college biology class once too. Then Jacob THINKS he is playing God by mating the strong livestock in front of sticks and weak livestock not in front of sticks. It works. Jacob thinks he is in charge. Laban continues to change the rules on Jacob and says He can only keep the spotted ones,or the stripped ones, well, Jacob continues to miraculously bear these livestocks. Jacob finally realizes maybe it's not these sticks at all, but God is doing the blessing. God's promise of blessing comes through competition, greed, and deception. How often do you feel like we are in control? How often do we come up with a program that will bring the lost to salvation? According to this story, God's got a plan, and it's gonna come to it's fullness no matter what. Weather it be through deception, greed, or honesty, God's story will continue. Now, I'm not saying we need to sit back and do nothing, or that it doesn't matter weather we live like God wants us to or not, but that it seems like the Big Picture story of God salvation of the world is gonna continue no matter how we do it or THINK it should be done.
God does teach Jacob a lesson though. He literally comes down to wrestle and struggle with Jacob. Jacob's lesson, he can't do it on his own. Jacob is humbled. Half way through the match, Jacob is doing pretty well, giving God a run for his money. It looks like Jacob is gonna get the pin, but then God says, Jacob you are not in control, let me be in control, and boom, God hits Jacob in the hip and gives him a handicap. It reminds of Paul and his thorn in his flesh. It is because of his weakness that grace can abound. It is because of weakness that God can work. I need to see that it is not me in control, that I am not in charge, and sometimes need reminders of my weakness and need for him. Only then can God truly work through me. It is not me at work, but God. I will continue to struggle with God. God will continue to give me my thorns in my flesh, so God will remind me that I can't beat him, that I need him, that it is Him at work, that his GRACE abounds. That His Promises are true no matter what I do. When I look for fulfillment in other places, God's promise that He will take care of me will continue. When I don't feel loved, his promise of his love to me continues. When I hurt those around me, God's promise of forgiveness and reconciliation is still there. God's plan will continue. My struggle with God continues.