Wrestle
When a man is attacked and instead of fighting back, he sits and witnesses his belongings being taken without any attempt to resist, he is often labelled a “coward.” This term implies a lack of courage or the failure to defend oneself or one’s possessions when confronted with a threat.
Have you ever stepped on a worm and noticed how it wriggles and squirms despite how vulnerable it looks? This reaction is an inherent part of nature, where every creature fights back when attacked. An antelope runs from a lion, and a hedgehog uses its quills for defense. Simply put, nature reveals how God created everything with an ability to wrestle when attacked. However, despite the hedgehog’s amazing spiny defense, badgers can still have it as prey. This is because all those natural defenses do fail, especially when the enemy is far too strong.
Every prey has been given a way of wrestling against its predator. But for man, God through Paul said, “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10). In other words, draw your strength from the Lord and be empowered by your union with Him. He added “11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11). The schemes of the devil can be described as our predator’s attacks.
"Every prey has been given a way of wrestling against its predator. But for man, God through Paul said, “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” "
For mankind, our wrestling is not against an easy opponent. It is beyond the physical, it extends to the invisible rulers, invisible powers, invisible forces of darkness and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). It would be easier to fight against something you can see and touch, at least you can analyze its moves and defend yourself. But for the invisible, not just any kind of weapon is adequate; you need the one prepared and made by God Himself, and you need it complete without leaving anything behind (Ephesians 6:13). David being a mighty man in battle, he said in Psalm 18:29 “With Your help I can go against many soldiers. With my God I can jump over a wall.” (NLV). He knew what he could do in the strength of the Lord. This confidence is probably why even while all men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep when the Amalekites had taken their families captive (1 Samuel 30), David did not just weep but he recalled his ever-present Help. He asked if he was to pursue and overtake, then God gave him assurance of victory (1 Samuel 30:4) and he was strengthened in the understanding that with the Lord’s help, he could go against a troop and win.
While the hedgehog releases arrows when attacked and yet sometimes fails when the enemy is far too powerful, for us, being strengthened in the Lord’s mighty strength is the only way to wrestle to victory. It enables us to stand firmly when the day of evil comes (Ephesians 6:13). As we draw our strength from the Lord, even the predators who are far too mighty for us can’t take us down (Psalm 18:17). Don’t cowardly let the devil fill your life with darkness, wrestle in the secret place of prayer and draw your confidence from your union with God until you are strengthened in Him. Don’t give in to the flesh, refuse to be enslaved by un–forgiveness, disobedience, unfruitfulness or immorality. The devil will always look for an opportunity to oppress you, therefore wrestle in the strength of the Lord to claim the victory found in Jesus Christ. As you present every battle to Him, He will teach your hands to shoot arrows.
"...for us, being strengthened in the Lord’s mighty strength is the only way to wrestle to victory."
“10 Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
“I am strong!”
16 The Lord will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the heavens will tremble.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.”
Joel 3:10,16 (NIV)
Let us pray:
Father God, thank You for saving me and making me victorious through Jesus Christ. You declared, “It is finished” on the cross; help me to daily understand more the depth of what You accomplished there. Teach me to live a life worthy of the stripes that brought my healing and the punishment that secured my pardon. Strengthen my faith, help my unbelief, and train my heart to magnify You. May I forever walk in the victory and grace made freely available through Jesus Christ. May I forever be conscious of my ever-present help. Amen!
