Dear Parish family, 

Wrestling with God, in one form or other seems to be a constant battle that we encounter in our everyday life. These trying times can surface such numerous occasions. In our brokenness and messiness, we tend to wrestle with God on a daily basis. Those moments are unique to our circumstances and we encounter them in our own way. There are many people in the Bible who wrestle with God, but two people from the Old Testament, namely Jacob and Job, stands out for me. 

In the book of Genesis chapter 32 verses 24 – 32 speaks about how Jacob wrestled with God for a night. “So, Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak………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.” 

On the other hand, we encounter Job who wrestles with God, all his life, and we wonder why would God do this to a just man. There is also this possibility that we may identify with Job in many a time in our own life too. The critical question here is, do we just identify with Job in the problems we face or do we continue to walk in the path of Job with renewed trust? 

Irrespective of the brokenness and messiness in which Jacob and Job are in, God restores them. So, does He will, with each of us, provided we walk in the path of faith and trust. I would have said this in the past, when my brother was killed in a road accident, the only response I heard from my father was, “I am like Job in the Old Testament, God gave, God took”. Even in the brokenness and messiness of the life, what helped my Dad to respond in those words was his faith and trust in God. I wish to leave with you few questions or phrases from the book, “Job: Wrestling with God” by Paul Stevens, for us to ponder and reflect upon. 

“Job's chief complaint, to our surprise, is not his material loss but the loss of his spiritual estate. In what ways does this challenge you when faced with discontentment created out of this lockdown and pandemic? Job 2:11-4:17 

Why are Job's friends’ worthless physicians? What do you learn from this regarding caring for deeply needy people, especially in these trying times? Job 13:1-14:17