Alone With God (an excerpt from the play-by-play)

A few days ago I talked about a book that has been doing a play-by-play of my life lately. Here is the first excerpt.


Alone with God

"And he [Jacob] rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and set them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

And Jacob was left alone...."
Genesis 32:22-24

Jacob wasn't necessarily lonely; he was alone. When God starts calling you away to himself, you may want to surround yourself with people. Unless you realize what is going on, you will gather people around you so you won't be alone. That won't help. You can be surrounded by people and still be alone if God is after you. You can experience intimate relationships and still be alone.

Who are you really? Who are you when nobody is looking? That is the real you. Who are you when all the camouflage is off, when you don't have an ego to defend, when you have nothing to prove at the office? Who are you when you aren't concerned about who is driving the nicest car, who owns the biggest house, or who makes the best business decisions? Who are you aside from all the imitations of life?

If you ever go through a real life-or-death situation or recover from a life-threatening disease, you will discover the "real you." You will find that most things people say are "important" aren't really important at all.

I'm alone anytime I am surrounded by people who don't know who I am. Anytime I am in a situation where I cannot fully be myself, I am alone. Anytime I have to put on a facade or camofloauge who I really am, I am alone. I am isolated. I watch people through a glass becasue they really don't know me.

God wants you to be alone because that is when He really operates. Nobody recievess guests in the operating room. I don't care how many loved ones you ave around you, when you get ready to go through surgery, the doctor puts them all out -- even your wife and kids. God put this book in your hands because he wants to do surgery.

"And Jacob was left alone...." (Genesis 32:24). Jacob was not just alone -- he was left alone. The word left implies that somebody who was there departed. Somebody he thought he could depend on moved. Someone he fellowshipped with abandoned him.

"And Jacob was left alone...." He was left alone, isolated, and separated by God for a divine purpose. "...and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day" (genesis 32:24). Are you ready? God Himself is coming down to fight with you.

Alone to wrestle with God