Dave’s Monday Blast – July 15, 2019
Last week we referenced the encounter recorded in Genesis 32 between Jacob and the “Mysterious Man”. The result of their all night struggle was a dislocated hip and permanent limp for Jacob. What is a limp? A limp is a scar that comes from daring to get into the ring with God. A limp is the spiritual, emotional, mental and even physical (at times) recognition that we are NOT the supreme agent of life. Limps come from our encounters with God as He INTENTIONALLY works to form us into His image.
Do we need a limp to “look like Him”? Dr. Steve Graves comments: “Two things are trickle-down realities of a limp: Humanity and Humility. These two things are inextricably tied, and bad things happen when we lose a grip on either one. We all can picture people who have lost touch with theirHUMANITY, people who act as if they are superhuman. Athletes, movie stars, preachers, business owners, and CEO’s come to mind. Well, actually it is more of a mindset rather than a vocational address…and it could happen to any one of us. It can happen to anybody whose life experience has taught them that the rules don’t apply to them. It can happen to people with high authority and low vulnerability, as my friend Andy Crouch says in Playing God:Redeeming the Gift of Power.”
The second by-product of a limp is HUMILITY. You can always spot it in people who have wrestled with God and lost. This wrestling is a good thing because until we wrestle with God, we don’t have to face our humanity. There is no substitute for wrestling with God. Graves continues: “Like a wild horse that must be broken before it destroys itself, we must go through the experience of being broken.”
“Brokenness” sounds bad, as if something is wrong with us. But what if brokenness is a good thing? The Bible, after all, continually talks about brokenness and weakness being the places where God shines through. As John Calvin wrote so many years ago, “Only those who have learned well to be earnestly dissatisfied with themselves … truly understand the Christian Gospel.” That’s good isn’t it!
Graves concludes: “Brokenness for Jacob brought about a new name (Israel) and a reminder for the rest of his life of God’s power over his own … a limp.” The most effective leaders I know have a limp. They have found their humanity and they walk in humility. It might be defeat, disappointment, or any number of things that reframes who has the right to rule.”
