Jacob the patriarch, walked with a limp. See Gen. 32:30-31. Surprisingly, his limp was the product of a face-to-face encounter with God. Try to fit that into your 21st century church theology! You may be wondering, what are the implications of Jacob’s limp; and what does that mean to us as New Testament believers?
Well, I’ll be the first to tell you that this is an odd story, at least from our western-world mindset. It’s difficult for us to fathom coming away from a “God encounter” with a physical ailment - so I’ll not even go there. Like you, I don’t even pretend to have all the answers however I do know that many of God’s choicest leaders walk with a pronounced limp. As a matter of fact, who doesn’t?
By a limp, I am referring to an area or areas of weakness that one seems to be prone to struggle with. For some it could be a physical issue; or an emotional difficulty, maybe it’s of a social or spiritual nature. Whatever the nature; we often times seem to wrestle with our limp incessantly.
For Paul, it was a “thorn in the flesh,” a messenger of satan that buffeted him most of his ministerial life. Elijah struggled with depression; Moses never quite conquered his anger, and Timothy suffered with stomach problems. I could go on and on but I think you get my point.
Honestly, I’m not sure why God sometimes allows the little irritants to hang around. I wish I knew. But I do know that you and I shouldn’t be embarrassed by our limp. Paul wasn’t! As a matter of fact, he was quick to disclose it several times in scripture. He talked quite openly about it. As a matter of fact he said…”Of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities.” See II Cor. 12:5-10
At this point a small disclaimer might be in order. Please understand that I’m not making excuses for our flesh or our lack of overcoming power. All of us are required to “press toward the mark” and move forward in our walk with God. Equally important, we should never blame God for a limp that was caused by our own fleshly indulgences.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that a limp in life is not unusual, even among God’s people. They may be mysterious, and at times, without explanation, however we have to remember that this treasure is in earthen vessels so that the excellency of the power might be of God and not of us.
Please don’t read more into this subject than I’m trying to say. This short article is not an entire thesis on the subject. I’ve only scratched the surface. As a matter of fact, I’d love to hear from you. If you’d like to comment, click the “comment” button at the end of this post and make your comments.
Coach John
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