Bibledoorajar Looks at Wrestling for Power

I've got the power hey yeah heh
I've got the power
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh yeah-eah-eah-eah-eah-eah
I've got the power
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh yeah-eah-eah-eah-eah-eah
Gettin' kinda heavy

The Power by Snap

     When Bilhah had a second son for Jacob, Rachel commented: "With great wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed." (Genesis 30:8). Rachel exalts in the power she is feeling with the birth of Naphthali ("wrestling"). How common is wrestling for power and authority in our relationships? How much are we empowered by our passion to succeed? Rachel refused to suffer defeat at the hands of her sister. After two children to Leah's four, she declared that she had prevailed. It was as if after experiencing success with the first child by Bilhah (which spoke of God's judgement and His dealings with her), she takes that experience of having been dealt with by the Lord as a great spiritual accomplishment. Now she speaks of prevailing and she takes great pride in it. But be wary Rachel, having the power all by yourself can "get kinda heavy." We all have the capacity to wriggle and squirm and bring to bear every resource we can muster to accomplish what we want, can we not? We all have our "ways".
     Have you ever been around someone who spoke of their prevailing  over a difficulty repeatedly and with great pride? Sometimes you just want to say, "do you ever suffer defeat?" Have you ever just reached a point where you had to let God prevail? Careful. We will see this word prevailing again both in the life of Jacob and the history of Israel. Remember, as long as Moses held his hands up, Israel prevailed against the enemy?
     True spiritual prevailing is not that done in one's own power, but rather in submitting to God to give the power and to render to Himself the glory. When living in Alabama, I would often compliment the preacher on a fine sermon delivery. He was usually careful to say, "may God get the glory." I always liked that because he was really saying, "I did not prevail (do not have the power), God did (has the power)."  This week evaluate what you are doing in your own strength and how much you have let God have the power in your life. Continue to realize what it means to know the God of Jacob intimately and to allow His life changing power through work of the Spirit into your daily life.