“The sun rose upon (Jacob) as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.” (Gen 32:31, NRSV)
I’ve traveled to Germany a few times the last few years including a couple stops in Berlin. On my first trip there, I took a Third Reich tour and learned about the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (a bad photo taken by me is above–you can find better pictures here). The church was bombed during World War II and there were plans to level the church in the 1950s, but protests led the architect to include the ruins into the new design as a reminder of the horrors of war and as a memorial to peace and reconciliation.
I was reflecting on the story of Jacob wrestling God in Genesis 32:22-32 a few days ago. It’s a familiar story and can bring solace since many of us can relate to wrestling with God. But I had never noticed verse 31 before. Two things struck me. First, after wrestling, the sun still comes up. Second, after wrestling, there are still after effects as Jacob limps away.
This story of wrestling God can be a little domesticated sometimes, at least by me. I’m glad it’s in the Scriptures, but I have tended to assume that Jacob went away strengthened and unscathed. But he didn’t.
Having more than just a superficial faith in God means that there are days when we push and pull. We cry out and we listen. We struggle and fall exhausted. We praise and we doubt. All of these things are strenuous and we don’t simply walk away thinking that we’ve put in our prayer time for the day. A strenuous faith in God means that there are after effects and sometimes we may limp a bit or feel like we’ve been marred in some way, like the Kaiser Church. I believe, though, that these are signs that our faith is real, that our God is alive and desires this robust relationship. And in the midst of our limping along, the sun continues to rise and God continues to meet us, just as sure as the coming of the dawn.