Wading through life

It seems fairly evident from scripture that there isn’t a particular rhyme or reason concerning which name Jacob/Israel goes by after his official name-change. God says to Jacob in Gen. 35:10: “’Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.’ So He called his name Israel.” Yet, as soon as God and Israel part ways, verse 14 starts out with “So Jacob…” and verse 15 repeats “And Jacob…” It seems God wasn’t following His own protocol.

Regardless, I was struck when reviewing Gen. 45 recently, where we find Jacob’s sons returning to him with news that Joseph is still alive and quite well, residing as governor over all the land of Egypt. Verses 25-26 state, “So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. And they told him, ‘Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.’ And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them.”

What I felt God highlighting to me in this case was that Jacob, the old man version of this new creation, had a hard time receiving the message of hope. “Jacob” was the man still with a wounded heart—vexed by the lie that Joseph had fallen prey to wild animals. The testimony of Joseph carried by his brothers initially didn’t find good soil to plant itself in. But with persistence and proof of life, Jacob’s sons were able to break through into his inner man and release the Israel within.

“When they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. Then Israel said, ‘It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.’”

Israel was there all along. He just had to be awoken from his slumber. And that often takes an outside ray of hope—that foretaste of something’s existence—that glimpse beyond the valley of the shadow of death and into green pasture He’s leading us towards. And that is something God can provide—whether through words of truth (the son’s persistence with the story) or signs from heaven (the carts sent by Joseph).

There are times in our lives when we put up defense mechanisms and retreat into old ways of living—especially when our hearts are on the line. For Jacob to believe again Joseph was alive, only to discover he wasn’t, would have been more devastating than he could bear. So he resumed his position as Jacob, the wounded and numb-hearted father. That was safe for him.

But God wouldn’t let Jacob stay there. He wanted the revived man Israel to lead his people out of the famine and into a place of provision, protection and prosperity. And so He had Jacob’s sons continue on with the good report and present proof of life to Jacob until there was breakthrough and a determined Israel emerged.

And so I just encourage you, in any situation you’re facing where you feel like your heart might be numb… where you feel trapped in your old identity… where you find it easier to doubt than believe… where you feel like the truth of God isn’t setting you free… Cry out to God and ask Him to help your unbelief! (Mark 9:24).

Sometimes life circumstances create wounded spirits within us that are prone to suppressing the new creation. But we can’t let circumstances or the devil’s influence keep us engaged in an old way of living.

There’s a deposit of the Holy Spirit within you—living water that was meant to spring up and gush forth. And that inner man is just one sentence, one vision away from being revived and ready to purse destiny with full assurance of faith. We must come to a knowledge of the truth of who we really are and what God has really said and allow that truth to set us free.

A while ago I was reading the story of the crucifixion and I was struck by the words spoken by Christ as He made his way towards Golgotha (Luke 23:27-31). The multitude was following Him and as He heard some of the women mourning and lamenting, He asked them to divert their tears and sorrows to a future generation who would have it far worse off than they.

For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’

He then spoke the words that really gripped me: “For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

Or in other words, if man crucifies the very Son of God when it is actually quite hard to do so (ever try starting a fire with green wood?), what evil will man be capable of when it is quite easy to be so (ever try starting a fire with dry wood? It’s simple!).

During His Olivet Discourse, Jesus told His disciples that “as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man” (Luke 17:26). If we look back at the story of Noah, we see that mankind was capable of such great evil, that God was stirred to remove those He created in His image from existence. At this point in history, “the wickedness of man was great in the earth and every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” That’s pretty bad! Yet, we’re promised by Jesus Himself that those days are returning to the earth, because “as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man.” This might very well be the coming period of dry wood that Jesus was referring to.

So, we know that those days will hold great evil. But what really did it look like back in the days of Noah? The Bible shares a little—“all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth”—but the non-canonical Book of Enoch, which is held in incredibly high esteem by many Jewish and Christian scholars and ministers, gives us great insight.

Chapters 6-10 of the first section of the Book of Enoch tells of 200 angels lusting after women and swearing an oath to enter the earth realm and commit sin with them. Not only did they pollute the gene line of the human race (except for Noah’s, for he was “perfect in his generations”—or his bloodline), but they also “taught them charms and enchantments (the dark arts), and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants (drugs).”

The perverted human race continued to depreciate as they were taught “to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates”—obviously for the purposes of war and violence. Genesis 6:11 confirms this, saying “the earth was filled with violence.” This suited the Nephilim, the offspring of the fallen angels, just fine, for they had a thirst for blood and destruction. Chapter 7 of the Book of Enoch says these “giants turned against them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another’s flesh, and drink the blood.”

Grim times, indeed. But not any more so than what’s coming. Jesus says in Matthew 24 that preceding His return, the people of the earth will endure “Great tribulation that has never before been experienced by mankind.” The weight of sin upon the earth in this generation will be greater than that of Noah’s day. For “the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” Judgment by fire is more severe than by water.

I share these things not to stir up fear or anxiety, for in the midst of these awful times, Daniel promises that “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Christ is our blessed, living hope and if He is for us, nothing and no one can be against us. But at the same time, we have to dump naïve Pollyannaism, because all is not well nor will be well.

For, as Galdalf says in Return of the King, “We come to it, at last. The great battle of our time.”

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

— Hebrews 12:1-2

Did you know you’re living in your particular home, in this particular period of time, for the exact purpose of groping after God? Yep; it’s true. For it is written:

He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. (Acts 17:26-27)

There are specific situations and dynamics that are unique to the place and time in which you exist that are meant to induce a searching—a groping—after God.

To “grope” isn’t an intrinsically sexual term. It means to “feel about blindly or uncertainly in search”, as in, feeling around a wall for a light switch when entering a dark, unfamiliar room. In doing so, you’re groping for the switch. You fumble around, rubbing your hand all over the wall, until your fingers find what they’re looking for.

It’s the same with God: He positions us strategically, in vulnerable and needy situations, that we might seek after Him. He’s never far from us, though, like the light switch. And we recognize Him when we find Him, also like the switch. Our pursuit of him is to resemble groping. Though we’re blind about some things and uncertain about others, we’re to seek Him out until we find Him.

So much of the Kingdom is about seeking. It’s a forefront principle in discipleship. Jesus said:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matt. 13:44-46)

What do you do to obtain treasures and beautiful pearls? If you’re serious about it, like Jack Sparrow, you seek after them diligently until you find them. You grope for them. Seeking in the kingdom of God is vital. And because many people’s nature tends more towards settler than pioneer, God assists them by placing them in situations that He intends to induce groping.

So, in light of this reality, I guess a proper question to now ask ourselves is: Are we groping for God? Are we reaching into dark and unknown places in search of Him? Are we pushing past blindness and uncertainty to obtain more of Him? Because if we aren’t, we aren’t fully experiencing the reason for which God positioned us where He has and when He has. In our walks with God, the grass is never greener on the other side. There is never an “ideal” time or place to seek after God that is better than the time or place in which we now exist. “Now” is always the right time and “Later” is never the right time. “Here” is always the right place and “There” is never the right place. We will seek God and we will find Him when we seek after Him will all our hearts (Jer. 29:13), not when we have more time or live in a more anointed environment.

The good news is that a groping-for-God renissance is never more than a moment away. With a simple yielding of our spirit to His, with a simple “Yes” of our heart that says “God, I know Your word says that I’ve been placed here and now to grope for You and follow hard after You. Count me in; I want more of You,” we can initiate a hot pursuit of Him that need not ever be quenched until we either rest in peace or are caught up in the clouds with Him at the last trumpet.

Ez. 22:30 — “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.”

Did you realize that righteousness actually protects a nation? God is actively scanning America’s horizon, looking for those who will stand up for the Word; who have allowed zeal for the Father’s house to consume them; who will respond in passionate opposition to evil in the spirit of Nehemiah. He’s looking for those who will rebuild our wall of righteousness.

It’s not okay that millions of babies are being killed each year. It isn’t a political issue; it’s a moral—no, a spiritual—issue. And it’s a fight we can’t tire of fighting. It’s not okay that the God-ordained institution of marriage is being trivialized, novelized and made anything-but sacred. It’s not ok that America is shedding its Christian heritage, forgetting the God who led us to establish a new nation under the banner of freedom. And there are dozens of other dire situations we simply CANNOT be okay with.

While each of these are dire in-and-of themselves, we must realize that they are simply firstfruits of darker realities that lie ahead if the walls of righteousness are not raised. You think the spirits of convenience, selfishness, death and genocide that drive the abortion agenda will stop with killing unborn children only? No, it’s after the elderly and disabled, too. And then it will widen its reach further to the sick, the powerless, the unskilled, the poor… those who are perceived to offer little to society. And then it will simply go after the un-perfect—and that encompasses all of us.

Chinks in the armor of Godless, human “morality” will be fully exploited until that armor is replaced by the uncompromising and infallible righteousness of the Lord and his Eternal Word. We have to be passionate for the ways of God. We have to desire his law and precepts and Word like David did in Psalm 119:

⁵ Oh, that my actions would consistently
reflect your decrees!
¹⁴ I have rejoiced in your laws
as much as in riches.
²⁰ I am always overwhelmed
with a desire for your regulations.
³⁰ I have chosen to be faithful;
I have determined to live by your regulations.
³¹ I cling to your laws.
Lord, don’t let me be put to shame!
³² I will pursue your commands,
for you expand my understanding.
³⁶ Give me an eagerness for your laws
rather than a love for money!

May we pray and cry out that God would change our hearts to desire his righteousness to be exhibited through our lives and throughout our land. May we be OVERWHELMED with desire for his regulations. May we CHOOSE and be DETERMINED to live by the Word. May we CLING to God’s ways and PERSUE greater understanding. And may we respond to the Word with more excitement and delight than we would winning the lottery.

God WANTS America to pull out of its spiritual malaise. He desires to show mercy and doesn’t delight in judgment. But we need to awaken. We need to begin rebuilding our wall of righteousness.

Rom. 13:11-12 — “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”