WEBVTT 00:00:01.100 --> 00:00:07.799 Howdy. Right over there on the side, right by 00:00:07.799 --> 00:00:11.539 the playground, there is a lock on that gate. 00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:15.019 It is possibly the most annoying lock that I've 00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:18.239 ever had to deal with in my life. I put this 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:22.100 key in there, and I'm trying to unlock it, and 00:00:22.100 --> 00:00:25.300 it won't turn. And I'm checking, and I'm like, 00:00:25.399 --> 00:00:27.000 is this the right, yes, this is the right key, 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:30.230 and I try again. And then I jiggle it. And I'm 00:00:30.230 --> 00:00:33.289 kind of wiggling a little bit there and 10, 12, 00:00:33.509 --> 00:00:39.850 15 times and it will not open. And I'm just frustrated 00:00:39.850 --> 00:00:45.250 until finally the 21st time that I try to turn 00:00:45.250 --> 00:00:50.390 it and it opens. You've got the right key in 00:00:50.390 --> 00:00:53.429 your hand. Maybe it's old, maybe it's worn a 00:00:53.429 --> 00:00:55.369 little bit, it's a little too smooth, you had 00:00:55.369 --> 00:00:58.689 to jiggle it a lot to get it to turn. But you 00:00:58.689 --> 00:01:02.369 keep trying because deep down inside you know 00:01:02.369 --> 00:01:06.769 it's the right key. It fits. It belongs there. 00:01:07.709 --> 00:01:10.590 You just have to keep turning. You have to keep 00:01:10.590 --> 00:01:14.310 trying. You have to keep holding on until it 00:01:14.310 --> 00:01:19.469 finally clicks. We do this all the time in everyday 00:01:19.469 --> 00:01:23.930 life. Parents have to do this when they keep 00:01:23.930 --> 00:01:27.150 showing up for their kids. Even when it feels 00:01:27.150 --> 00:01:29.489 like, I don't know that I'm getting through. 00:01:29.969 --> 00:01:32.129 I don't know that anything's changing, but you're 00:01:32.129 --> 00:01:35.329 still there time and time again for them. Or 00:01:35.329 --> 00:01:37.430 whenever people have to do this at work and they're 00:01:37.430 --> 00:01:40.329 trying to do right by someone that they work 00:01:40.329 --> 00:01:44.590 with who just keeps responding poorly and just 00:01:44.590 --> 00:01:47.950 banging your head on this saying, when will the 00:01:47.950 --> 00:01:51.409 way that I am doing things get what I am hoping 00:01:51.409 --> 00:01:55.150 for? And it's the same thing that Jesus is talking 00:01:55.150 --> 00:01:59.519 about in Luke 18 today. The story of the persistent 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:04.599 widow who keeps coming before the unjust judge. 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:08.099 The judge is supposed to be doing the right thing. 00:02:08.379 --> 00:02:10.460 He's supposed to be taking care of her needs 00:02:10.460 --> 00:02:14.099 and giving her what is right. But he refuses. 00:02:14.860 --> 00:02:18.199 And you don't know why. But she doesn't stop 00:02:18.199 --> 00:02:20.960 because she believes there is something just, 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:24.780 something right, something worth clinging to. 00:02:25.639 --> 00:02:28.840 We understand that kind of persistence when it 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:33.879 comes to people, but when it comes to God, do 00:02:33.879 --> 00:02:37.900 we really believe it? Do we really believe that 00:02:37.900 --> 00:02:41.000 God is going to respond, that He cares for us, 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:44.979 that He delights in what's good and right, and 00:02:44.979 --> 00:02:48.139 that He actually wants us to keep asking, to 00:02:48.139 --> 00:02:51.500 keep turning to Him, to keep clinging to Him? 00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:56.319 You see, This happens all the time, but it's 00:02:56.319 --> 00:03:00.259 also on the kids side, too You know kids know 00:03:00.259 --> 00:03:06.560 which parent is going to give in Sorry mom They 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:08.879 don't even bother going to the other one first 00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:11.159 because they know that they're gonna say no they 00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:15.280 know Which one is going to say yes, and that's 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:17.259 where they start because they know which door 00:03:17.259 --> 00:03:21.550 is gonna open they persist until it does because 00:03:21.550 --> 00:03:23.969 they know that's the parent who's gonna give 00:03:23.969 --> 00:03:26.949 them the candy that they want and Same thing 00:03:26.949 --> 00:03:29.550 can happen at work oftentimes everybody knows 00:03:29.550 --> 00:03:33.530 that one manager or co -worker that will eventually 00:03:33.530 --> 00:03:36.849 Get what it is that you want. They're not even 00:03:36.849 --> 00:03:39.430 nervous about asking They know that if they go 00:03:39.430 --> 00:03:43.689 the usual path. It's gonna be a no Probably for 00:03:43.689 --> 00:03:47.030 good reason, but if they just go to this one 00:03:47.030 --> 00:03:50.229 direction persistence will get them what they 00:03:50.229 --> 00:03:54.050 want. In the world, we believe in persistence. 00:03:54.889 --> 00:03:59.069 We believe in negotiation, effort, repetition. 00:04:00.009 --> 00:04:02.569 But when it comes to God, we start to wonder, 00:04:02.689 --> 00:04:07.289 is He even listening? Am I saying it right? He's 00:04:07.289 --> 00:04:09.849 not giving me what I want. Do I have to get the 00:04:09.849 --> 00:04:13.669 combination just right for God to finally respond? 00:04:14.310 --> 00:04:17.819 And that's where we get it confused. Because 00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:21.379 often, instead of seeing God as the key to the 00:04:21.379 --> 00:04:24.100 lock, is instead we start treating our prayers 00:04:24.100 --> 00:04:27.959 like a combination lock. We start thinking that 00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:30.779 with God we have to enter the right combination 00:04:30.779 --> 00:04:36.560 of what do I do? How do I pray? How should I 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:39.540 live? Which people should be in my life? And 00:04:39.540 --> 00:04:43.480 then we over and over again keep wondering what 00:04:43.480 --> 00:04:46.209 we've been doing wrong, but Y 'all, God is not 00:04:46.209 --> 00:04:49.910 a combination lock. This is not something where 00:04:49.910 --> 00:04:52.329 He's waiting for us to have the exact right words 00:04:52.329 --> 00:04:55.149 or perform the right perfect formula where you 00:04:55.149 --> 00:04:57.250 turn the lock and you're like, oh, that didn't 00:04:57.250 --> 00:05:00.769 work. Maybe I got the numbers out of order. He 00:05:00.769 --> 00:05:03.290 isn't looking for the right combination from 00:05:03.290 --> 00:05:09.050 us. He is the key. And He invites us to keep 00:05:09.050 --> 00:05:12.750 clinging to Him, not because we've figured Him 00:05:12.750 --> 00:05:19.050 out. but because we trust Him that He will turn 00:05:19.050 --> 00:05:23.490 when it is the time to open the door to us. And 00:05:23.490 --> 00:05:28.189 that is why we come to Jacob's story today. The 00:05:28.189 --> 00:05:32.810 man who literally wrestled with God. There are 00:05:32.810 --> 00:05:37.269 days whenever I wake up and I wonder what do 00:05:37.269 --> 00:05:40.439 I have to do today? Do I need to get the sermon 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:44.160 written? Do I need to go meet with somebody that 00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:47.240 doesn't want the same goals I do? Do I need to 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:49.740 make sure that I have taken care of all these 00:05:49.740 --> 00:05:53.439 tasks? I don't wake up and think to myself, today 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:57.040 I am going to find God in the middle of the wilderness 00:05:57.040 --> 00:06:02.540 and grab Him and wrestle. Jacob, though, spends 00:06:02.540 --> 00:06:05.779 the entire night grappling with the mysterious 00:06:05.779 --> 00:06:10.079 figure. A man, the Hebrew says, though it's clear 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:15.199 this is no ordinary man. Jacob is about to see 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:19.100 his brother Esau the next day. The very brother 00:06:19.100 --> 00:06:22.240 that he had cheated out of his entire inheritance. 00:06:23.139 --> 00:06:26.439 The brother he ran away from. The brother who 00:06:26.439 --> 00:06:31.980 was always bigger and stronger. And in the midst 00:06:31.980 --> 00:06:36.120 of that anxiety, the frustration, but some guy 00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:39.279 comes along in the middle of the night. And you 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:41.500 know that moment where you don't really care 00:06:41.500 --> 00:06:45.139 who or what it is? And you are going to get into 00:06:45.139 --> 00:06:50.019 it with them because they're there. And he wrestles 00:06:50.019 --> 00:06:54.439 all night long and refuses to let go. Even when 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:59.000 his hip is thrown out of joint, Jacob still clings 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:01.620 to him and says, I will not let you go until 00:07:01.620 --> 00:07:07.240 you bless me. That's faith. It's the faith of 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:09.660 knowing that if I hold on, you will bless me 00:07:09.660 --> 00:07:13.160 one way or another. It's not tidy. It's not polite. 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:15.920 It's not what we learn in confirmation with our 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:19.740 catechism. It is desperate. It is clinging. It 00:07:19.740 --> 00:07:22.819 is the faith that cannot let go. It's the faith 00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:25.120 that says, I don't understand everything, but 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:28.519 I'm not letting go of you for one second. And 00:07:28.519 --> 00:07:32.310 the limp that Jacob carries afterward, becomes 00:07:32.310 --> 00:07:35.790 His testimony. Because every step He takes reminds 00:07:35.790 --> 00:07:39.930 Him of that night, of that struggle, of the pain, 00:07:40.009 --> 00:07:44.350 the encounter, but also the blessing. See, the 00:07:44.350 --> 00:07:47.050 Hebrew, though, it doesn't tell us a lot about 00:07:47.050 --> 00:07:54.050 this person. It says, ha 'ish, aleph, yod, shin, 00:07:54.430 --> 00:07:59.250 a man. But the identity unfolds itself over time. 00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:02.779 Jacob later said in verse 30, I have seen God 00:08:02.779 --> 00:08:06.399 face to face and yet my life is preserved. So 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:08.860 the Jewish and Christian teachers understood 00:08:08.860 --> 00:08:12.240 this is a theophany. This is a visible appearance 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:15.120 of God. The angel of the Lord representing God's 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:20.019 presence in tangible form. But others also see 00:08:20.019 --> 00:08:24.139 the outward expression of Jacob's lifelong inner 00:08:24.139 --> 00:08:28.639 struggle. His brother wasn't the only one that 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:32.200 he had dealt with. His father, who always loved 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:36.340 the older brother more than him. His uncle, who 00:08:36.340 --> 00:08:39.580 managed to trick him into marrying the wrong 00:08:39.580 --> 00:08:45.159 person. And then now with God himself. He's always 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:47.419 wrestled to control his own destiny. And now 00:08:47.419 --> 00:08:50.799 he meets the one that he cannot manipulate. Even 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:53.840 as in Hosea 12 it says he strove with the angel 00:08:53.840 --> 00:08:58.190 and prevailed. He wept and sought his favor because 00:08:58.190 --> 00:09:01.450 the prophet frames this wrestling match with 00:09:01.450 --> 00:09:05.070 an angelic being as a representative of God's 00:09:05.070 --> 00:09:08.830 will and blessing. Because this is God meeting 00:09:08.830 --> 00:09:15.509 Jacob in the struggle. Not in peace, not in comfort, 00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:21.210 but in confrontation and communion at the same 00:09:21.210 --> 00:09:25.690 time. Frankly, we know what it's like. to wrestle 00:09:25.690 --> 00:09:29.250 with something that won't change. We see something 00:09:29.250 --> 00:09:31.610 that's wrong in our life or in the world around 00:09:31.610 --> 00:09:33.909 us, and we know it's not supposed to be that 00:09:33.909 --> 00:09:39.129 way. We ache for change, but nothing changes. 00:09:40.409 --> 00:09:45.009 After a while though, maybe we stop praying because 00:09:45.009 --> 00:09:49.070 God didn't seem to hear us. We stop believing 00:09:49.070 --> 00:09:53.450 because what are we believing in? We stopped 00:09:53.450 --> 00:09:56.950 wrestling because, well, we already lost. So 00:09:56.950 --> 00:10:01.009 maybe we just let go. You know, a friend of mine 00:10:01.009 --> 00:10:03.450 said earlier this week that it reminded him of 00:10:03.450 --> 00:10:06.370 a line from The Terminator, you know, the giant 00:10:06.370 --> 00:10:10.230 cyborg robot coming along and killing everybody. 00:10:11.629 --> 00:10:15.610 Now, you might think, oh, it's Arnold Schwarzenegger 00:10:15.610 --> 00:10:19.649 saying, I'll be back. But it's actually a better 00:10:19.649 --> 00:10:25.639 phrase. It is in your nature to destroy yourselves. 00:10:27.799 --> 00:10:31.279 Isn't that so very true? And not just in a world 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:34.000 where every day we find out that AI is getting 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.899 smarter and could very well destroy us all, and 00:10:36.899 --> 00:10:39.919 yet we still keep using it every single day. 00:10:41.340 --> 00:10:45.159 But also what we do spiritually. Giving up on 00:10:45.159 --> 00:10:48.259 the very thing that would keep us alive when 00:10:48.259 --> 00:10:52.970 we quit going back to the One who does bless 00:10:52.970 --> 00:10:58.289 us. Because when the path is revealed, when the 00:10:58.289 --> 00:11:02.649 blessing does come, then we'll know it was His 00:11:02.649 --> 00:11:07.009 doing all along. You know, I've got to tell you 00:11:07.009 --> 00:11:09.809 something though about this passage. There was 00:11:09.809 --> 00:11:11.850 something I had a chance to study a little bit 00:11:11.850 --> 00:11:16.710 in college. The Hebrew text where it says, when 00:11:16.710 --> 00:11:20.789 the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob. 00:11:20.929 --> 00:11:24.169 And I need to tell you something. It's not what 00:11:24.169 --> 00:11:30.129 the Hebrew says. The Hebrew says when he saw 00:11:30.129 --> 00:11:37.129 that he did not prevail against him. How do you 00:11:37.129 --> 00:11:40.509 know who it is? There's a lot of pronouns in 00:11:40.509 --> 00:11:43.149 there. And there's a lot of masculinity happening 00:11:43.149 --> 00:11:47.080 in this particular story. But they guessed they'd 00:11:47.080 --> 00:11:49.740 assume it because of what they saw later on. 00:11:50.039 --> 00:11:53.039 But is it the man who couldn't prevail against 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:55.580 Jacob? Or is it Jacob who realized he couldn't 00:11:55.580 --> 00:11:58.080 prevail against the man? They're both struggling 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:01.580 the whole night, right? If it's the first one, 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:04.460 the one that we keep assuming in the English 00:12:04.460 --> 00:12:08.639 translation, then it shows the tenacity of Jacob's 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:13.019 faith. He simply refuses to let go until God 00:12:13.019 --> 00:12:17.350 blesses him. the way that we all should. But 00:12:17.350 --> 00:12:22.970 what if it were the second? What if Jacob saw 00:12:22.970 --> 00:12:27.389 he did not prevail against the man? Because then 00:12:27.389 --> 00:12:31.470 it would reveal the moment of surrender. When 00:12:31.470 --> 00:12:35.129 Jacob realizes he cannot win on his own, and 00:12:35.129 --> 00:12:39.509 instead clings not to win, but independence. 00:12:40.809 --> 00:12:44.779 Because either way, Faith shows us it's the moment 00:12:44.779 --> 00:12:48.539 when you know you cannot win but you still won't 00:12:48.539 --> 00:12:53.679 let go See that when the man touches Jacob's 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:58.299 hip and dislocates it It's not an act of cruelty 00:12:58.299 --> 00:13:02.980 It's actually consecration It's a single touch 00:13:02.980 --> 00:13:06.080 from God. That's enough to remind Jacob that 00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:11.399 he is not God's equal the limp is a lifelong 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:16.139 testimony and said, I met God not that I won, 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:22.720 but rather that I lived. The wound is not a punishment. 00:13:23.820 --> 00:13:28.139 It's a transformation. It's the breaking of his 00:13:28.139 --> 00:13:30.899 reliance on himself. It is the part where he 00:13:30.899 --> 00:13:34.759 no longer thinks, I know how to handle this situation 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:41.440 because he doesn't. Jacob can't run anymore. 00:13:41.700 --> 00:13:45.720 How could he? He can't fight. All he can do is 00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:50.299 cling. And the one who used cunning and control 00:13:50.299 --> 00:13:53.399 must now depend entirely on grace. And in that 00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:56.659 weakness, that's when God gave him His new name, 00:13:57.399 --> 00:14:03.220 Israel. When was Jacob ready to be the father 00:14:03.220 --> 00:14:08.360 of a nation? It's when he became the one who 00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:13.259 strives with God. It's through the weakness that 00:14:13.259 --> 00:14:16.879 He received His name because the wound and the 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:21.720 name came together. It marked Him and renamed 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:26.360 Him at the same time. And every step after that 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:29.820 was a sermon that the blessing didn't come from 00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:34.860 His strength. It came from God's mercy. It's 00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:37.460 not that we get the blessing when we're done 00:14:37.460 --> 00:14:41.039 with the striving. It's the blessing that comes 00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:46.539 because of it. You know, one of the things that 00:14:46.539 --> 00:14:49.899 we often miss is that wrestling, it's not just 00:14:49.899 --> 00:14:54.059 resistance, it's formation. You know how often 00:14:54.059 --> 00:14:56.399 times a parent is wrestling with their child? 00:14:57.700 --> 00:15:00.159 And sometimes, every once in a while there's 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:03.159 some goofy character that, I don't know, is doing 00:15:03.159 --> 00:15:05.779 the wrong thing. But sometimes people might say, 00:15:06.029 --> 00:15:09.830 What, are you trying to win over the child? How 00:15:09.830 --> 00:15:13.629 immature is that? But that's not why parents 00:15:13.629 --> 00:15:17.669 wrestle with their child. When a parent wrestles 00:15:17.669 --> 00:15:20.029 with their child, it's not to defeat the child. 00:15:20.750 --> 00:15:24.389 It's to help them grow. It builds coordination, 00:15:25.389 --> 00:15:29.230 courage, confidence. A friend of mine was telling 00:15:29.230 --> 00:15:32.909 me about being in wrestling and saying, well, 00:15:32.970 --> 00:15:34.929 technically the person you're wrestling, that's 00:15:34.929 --> 00:15:39.730 your opponent. And it's like, yes, true. But 00:15:39.730 --> 00:15:43.669 when the match is done, you still go out for 00:15:43.669 --> 00:15:48.309 pizza afterward. Because the thing is that oftentimes 00:15:48.309 --> 00:15:51.710 the wrestling is not because that's the life 00:15:51.710 --> 00:15:54.230 and death, but that it's when we are strengthened 00:15:54.230 --> 00:15:59.490 for the fights that are. Because the thing is 00:15:59.490 --> 00:16:02.129 that whenever something gives us a chance to 00:16:02.129 --> 00:16:06.720 be built up, it is for our good. And that's what's 00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:09.940 happening in Jacob's story. His wrestling with 00:16:09.940 --> 00:16:14.340 God is preparation. He's being strengthened for 00:16:14.340 --> 00:16:17.340 the reconciliation that awaits him with Esau. 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:23.080 When he sees his brother and he realizes how 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:29.159 weak he truly is, then he has to go to him and 00:16:29.159 --> 00:16:33.639 hope and pray for mercy. And that's what he receives 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:38.470 from his brother. But from then on He is now 00:16:38.470 --> 00:16:42.070 prepared for what is to come See the struggle 00:16:42.070 --> 00:16:45.889 in the dark is shaping him for the light that's 00:16:45.889 --> 00:16:49.950 coming Because here's the thing about the man 00:16:49.950 --> 00:16:53.990 Trying to finish the battle before the Sun rose 00:16:53.990 --> 00:16:58.789 Because if the Sun were to rise Jacob would see 00:16:58.789 --> 00:17:05.289 him and no one can see God and live because maybe 00:17:05.390 --> 00:17:09.849 God is causing you to wrestle because it's the 00:17:09.849 --> 00:17:13.089 only way to help you survive what is to come 00:17:13.089 --> 00:17:18.710 next. So yes, wrestling feels like opposition, 00:17:19.690 --> 00:17:23.089 but sometimes it's invitation. The Father calls 00:17:23.089 --> 00:17:26.049 us to engage, to push, to grow, to become the 00:17:26.049 --> 00:17:28.910 people who can stand in the day ahead. Because 00:17:28.910 --> 00:17:31.130 through the wrestling, we become the people who 00:17:31.130 --> 00:17:35.500 can withstand. People who can live in blessing 00:17:35.500 --> 00:17:38.420 without forgetting the one who gave it. Because 00:17:38.420 --> 00:17:42.039 when Jacob rises, he is now different. Not just 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:44.240 because of the limp, but because of who he is. 00:17:45.160 --> 00:17:48.099 He sees Esau differently. He sees his family 00:17:48.099 --> 00:17:53.700 differently. He sees himself differently. That 00:17:53.700 --> 00:17:56.339 night's wrestling wasn't just about him. It was 00:17:56.339 --> 00:17:59.440 about what God would do through him. See, the 00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:01.619 blessing of God, it's never about just one person. 00:18:02.319 --> 00:18:05.779 It's always about what's happening as a community. 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:12.500 Maybe you're realizing the limp that you are 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:15.019 getting because of the struggles you're having. 00:18:16.599 --> 00:18:19.640 Maybe that is supposed to be a testimony to someone 00:18:19.640 --> 00:18:23.559 who is to come. Maybe your struggle might be 00:18:23.559 --> 00:18:26.599 the very place that God is actually going to 00:18:26.599 --> 00:18:30.240 heal someone else. Maybe when you're finally 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:33.200 willing to look yourself in the mirror and say 00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:37.539 something isn't right, and something has to change, 00:18:39.579 --> 00:18:44.099 maybe that's not you losing. Maybe it's the first 00:18:44.099 --> 00:18:47.880 time when God is finally going to use you so 00:18:47.880 --> 00:18:52.700 that He will win. Because the places where you 00:18:52.700 --> 00:18:57.930 could prevail, but you didn't, might become the 00:18:57.930 --> 00:19:00.970 places where God's strength is what finally prevails 00:19:00.970 --> 00:19:04.690 through you. Because faith is not about winning. 00:19:06.589 --> 00:19:10.970 It's about refusing to let go. To the only one 00:19:10.970 --> 00:19:16.029 where life and hope truly exists. Even when you 00:19:16.029 --> 00:19:19.269 know you can't prevail because He's the one that 00:19:19.269 --> 00:19:26.190 you trust. So today, we are the people who are 00:19:26.190 --> 00:19:29.230 not meant to let go easily. Let's be honest. 00:19:30.170 --> 00:19:35.029 We've been through a lot for a while now. But 00:19:35.029 --> 00:19:38.109 the wrestling is not because of whether or not 00:19:38.109 --> 00:19:41.369 we have won. The wrestling is about what God 00:19:41.369 --> 00:19:44.970 has been doing in us so that we're ready for 00:19:44.970 --> 00:19:52.349 whatever is to come. Not in me. In you. Because 00:19:52.349 --> 00:19:57.519 it can never be about one person. When we see 00:19:57.519 --> 00:20:02.779 something broken, let us not give up. Let us 00:20:02.779 --> 00:20:05.900 pray. Let us wrestle. Let us cling in prayer, 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:09.160 in love, to grace. Because when the dawn breaks 00:20:09.160 --> 00:20:12.359 and the blessing comes, we will look at the limp 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:17.980 and know that we have seen God and lived. Because 00:20:17.980 --> 00:20:22.140 the limp is our witness. The limp is the blessing. 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:28.619 So may we keep turning that key knowing that 00:20:28.619 --> 00:20:31.640 that's the one that's meant to be. May we keep 00:20:31.640 --> 00:20:35.740 clinging to our God who wrestles with us, not 00:20:35.740 --> 00:20:41.019 to harm us, but to make us ready. And may we 00:20:41.019 --> 00:20:44.119 realize that it's not mastering the right combination, 00:20:44.299 --> 00:20:47.700 but knowing the one who holds the door and keeps 00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:52.519 it open. So when we walk through with our limp, 00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:55.660 May we know the blessing that has been there 00:20:55.660 --> 00:20:58.880 all along and may that blessing ripple outward 00:20:58.880 --> 00:21:03.519 to our community, to our nation and to a world 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:08.660 that God is still redeeming. Thanks be to God.