Wrestling With God

Wrestling With God

But you have made me as strong as a wild ox. You have anointed me with the finest oil. Psalm 92:10

Entering the exam room, I encountered a mountain of a man. He was massive even for our local farming community, in which physical strength was a ticket to prosperity.

Charlie looked to be about seventy-five years old but with the build of a much younger man. I could see that his arms had new scars on top of old scars—no doubt a story to go along with each one of them. With that many scars, it was odd that I hadn’t stitched him up once or twice before.

“After twenty-five years in practice, I thought I’d met everyone in town. Are you from around here?” I asked.

“I was born and raised here, but I left when I was nineteen. I just moved back after retiring from being on the road.”

“Are you a musician?”

“No,” he said with a chuckle, “I’m a professional wrestler—well, I was.”

“I guess that explains the scars.”

“When I was a young man, I always pushed the limits of my God-given strength whenever I was in the ring. I won a lot of trophies, and I made some good money. But as you can tell, it wasn’t an easy way to make a living.”

“It looks like you’ve been in a few battles,” I responded.

“Yeah, but none was worse than the spiritual toll of being on tour. When I was no longer top billing on the circuit, I lost my way. I went broke and life seemed meaningless. That’s when I turned to Jesus, and he anointed me. He gave me a fire in my belly to teach his Word to the same crowd who used to watch me wrestle. Except now, instead of beating my chest, I proclaimed the Bible to anyone who would listen.”

Charlie was the real deal. Until the day he died, he sought to reach as many people as he could. He would stop people on the street, at the mall, or at wrestling events to talk about his faith. (I know that if a man his size asked me to listen, I would!)

Charlie was a mighty man, and God used him mightily.

TODAY’S RX

God can use everyone for his glory . . . no matter their line of work.

Father, however it may unfold—in my job, in my relationships, in my community—I pray that you will use me for your good works today and in the days to come.