Day By Day #33

Day by Day #33

MORNING/MIDDAY PRAYER

Silence and Stillness before God (2 minutes)

Scripture Reading: Genesis 32:22–31

That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.

Devotional

When Jacob was a young man, he used trickery and deceit to steal the birthright and blessing that rightfully belonged to his older brother, Esau. As a result, he had to flee from his brother’s murderous wrath. After twenty-five years had passed—years in which there was no contact between them—Jacob begins a journey back home. He will face the conflict head on and reconcile with Esau if he can. God had said to him, “I will be with you” (Genesis 31:3).

In the midst of his uncertainty about what might happen, a man (believed by some to be the pre-incarnate Christ) wrestled with Jacob in the night and struck his hip out of joint. Not long after, Jacob and Esau met and were reconciled. Here is how author John Paul Lederach describes what we can learn from these ancient brothers about God’s presence in our conflicts:

The call [Jacob] received [was] to turn toward all that he feared and walk back to his brother, not knowing what would happen. And the promise of God was not that all would be fine, or that all would be taken care of well ahead of his arrival. The promise was a simple “I will be with you.” . . .

Ultimately, reconciliation is a journey toward and through conflict. In this instance, God does not promise to do the work for Jacob. God does not promise that he will take care of everything and level the road for Jacob. God promises to accompany him, to be present. . . .

We will find God present throughout the journey toward reconciliation in the depths of fear, in the hopelessness of the dark nights, in the tears of reconnection. . . . The pathway through conflict toward reconciliation is filled with God-encounters, if we have the eyes to see, and the heart to feel. . . .

Conflict opens a path, a holy path, toward revelation and reconciliation.^a

Conflicts offer us revelation and the possibility of reconciliation, but they can also leave us limping—if we allow God to do that work in us. They become opportunities God can use to break our pride and teach us to depend on him more fully.

Question to Consider

In what ways does God’s simple promise, “I will be with you,” give you courage to move toward your fears and toward reconciliation with someone with whom you have a conflict?

Prayer

Lord, I long for the courage of Jacob—to move toward rather than away from those with whom I have conflict. The uncertainty scares me. But I also believe and claim the promise that you will be with me. I ask that this journey of reconciliation will become a path of revelation—a place in which I encounter you in a new way. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

MIDDAY/EVENING PRAYER

Silence and Stillness before God (2 minutes)

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:43–48

You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Devotional

Let’s face it. It is hard, if not impossible, to love unconditionally—especially when it comes to our enemies. That is why we are to pray. A miracle is required for this to happen, but God is good at miracles. It’s no accident that Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) with, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3a). Only those who are know they are completely helpless without God’s supernatural help can love this way.

Margaret Guenther, a well-known writer on the spiritual life, offers this application for loving our enemies:

[Jesus’] standard of forgiveness is radical, breathtaking, seemingly impossible. I’m not sure I’m up for the challenge. But at least I can try.

In the meantime, it’s a good idea to think about enemies from time to time. . . . Who might see me as the enemy? To this question, I usually answer, “Me? Who could possibly see me, hard-working and generally well-meaning me as an enemy?” It can be a painful exercise in self-examination to reflect on whom we might have hurt, diminished, or dismissed, intentionally or carelessly. And then to ponder: what am I going to do about it? And who are my enemies? What can I learn from them? Justly or unjustly, those who wish us harm can teach us a great deal about ourselves. Am I being condescending when I think that I am gracious? Speaking harshly and hurtfully when I think I am helpfully direct? Coldhearted when I ignore the need of a brother or sister? Arrogant when I assume that my way . . . is the best and only way? If we pay attention and are willing to look at ourselves honestly, our enemies can teach us a lot.^b

The question, of course, is do we really want to learn that much? Do we want to learn from those whom we’ve hurt? The answer is both yes and no. But if we pray for the miraculous courage and humility to do so, “we can be sure that our enemies can teach us a lot.”

Question to Consider

Who is someone that you suspect you may “have hurt, diminished, or dismissed, intentionally or carelessly”? What might God’s invitation be when you consider the question, “What am I going to do about it?”

Prayer

Lord, wrestling with this question about how I may have hurt someone else is difficult and painful. I can easily identify how people have hurt me and treated me poorly. But to learn from those who think I am the enemy? That is so much harder. By your Holy Spirit, grant me the grace to see the flaws in my character and to take any steps you might have for me this day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

^a John Paul Lederach, Reconcile: Conflict Transformation for Ordinary Christians (Harrisonburg, Pa.: Herald Press, 2014), 37, 42, 55.

^b Margaret Guenther, At Home in the World: A Rule of Life for the Rest of Us (New York: Seabury Books, 2006), 68–69.