Awaiting Daybreak

It was very late in the night. Jacob stood by the bank of Jabbok River all alone. His wives, children, servants and herds he had sent across the river – and then he stood thinking hard what he would say when he met his brother Esau.

All the sudden, a stranger came and challenged him. The two of them wrestled for hours until both of them realized none could overpower the other. So the stranger hit the socket of Jacob’s right hip real hard that his hip was wrenched. Then he hurried to leave. But Jacob would not let go of the man.

“Let me go!” the man said. “It’s almost daybreak!”

“I will not let you go unless you bless me!” insisted Jacob.

He knew who the stranger was. He knew that the man was not a man at all. Unless he gained the man’s blessing, the struggle he had endured throughout the night would be worthless.

So the man blessed him there, by the bank of the river. He renamed Jacob (which means ‘deceiver’) Israel – the mighty one of God. The blessing came upon Jacob, the man disappeared, and dawn broke.

There’s a profound message conveyed in this story in Genesis 32 for all children of God – especially us who are in struggle and tribulation. No matter how difficult life’s circumstances are, how impossible the problem to solve, how exhausting the dilemma we have to face, DAYBREAK WILL COME.

The sun – the everlasting goodness and blessing of the Lord – will rise. There will be an end to all our sufferings. That’s an axiom in the life of every child of God.

God will provide a way out – and He will give it to us when the time comes. As the dawn is never late in coming, God is never late to fulfill His promise. All the tests that come to us in the form of problems, struggles and tribulations are His means to purify our faith and take us to a higher level in our knowledge of Him.

Let’s keep this in mind: God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear! When we are tempted, He will also provide us a way out, so that we can stand up under it (I Corinthians 10:13).

God is faithful. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He’s our Creator. He knows us full well, inside and out. He knows how we are formed. He remembers that we are dust (Psalms 103:14). He will not let temptation crushes us or tribulation destroys us – because He loves us and preserves the best for the moment of glory that will surely come to us.

So, hold on to God when tribulations hit us with full force. Hope unto Him. Daybreak is sure to come!

[Excerpt of the sermon delivered by Rev. Daniel Turangan on Sunday morning, August 9^th, 2009 – at GPdI Betania.]