Banging Heads With God

I have been a fight-fan all of my life. From boxing and wrestling matches (the real and the fake stuff) to Mixed Martial Arts, I love to watch a good fight ...as long as I'm not the one taking the hits!

But did you know that God loves to bang-it-up in the ring, too? I know we usually talk about God's wonderful comfort and gentle embrace, but I have to admit that I have also experienced the whiplash of His 'flying headlock' and the domination of His 'rear-naked-choke-hold'. ...there have definitely been times when God put the smack-down on my life!

After surviving a few of these "brutiful" (brutal & beautiful) encounters, I discovered something subtly distinct about God's combat techniques... sometimes He fights, and at other times He wrestles. Let me explain.

Fighting and wrestling are two completely different styles of physical engagement. For the fighter, his plan is simply to beat his opponent into unconsciousness, while the wrestler's intent is to pin his opponent to the floor using strategic maneuvers. In the end, the fighter's goal is to damage his opponent, while the wrestler's quest is to simply alter and control his opponent's position. 

Throughout the Bible (and in my life), I've discovered that God sometimes rages like a Fighter and then at other times like a ground and pound Wrestler. Let's check-out these roles one at a time.

Exodus 15:3 (NIV)
      "The Lord is a Warrior; the Lord is His Name."

Personally, I am so grateful that God has a Warrior inside His nature. Don't get me wrong, I am beyond thankful for His grace and mercy - I need both of those in my life daily. But His willingness to respond passionately against the enemies of my life is a comforting and assuring thought. Just the idea that God refuses to sit back and watch me get my head beat-in by the 'hell's thugs' helps me sleep better at night.

As a Warrior, God decidedly knows how to take care of His people - He's never faced an enemy He hasn't been able to eradicate! Yep... God has a 'hot button', and when it's pushed, He's the baddest Dude that block has eva' seen!

Then there's the "other" side to God's physicality in dealing with people - the Wrestler. One of my favorite stories in the Bible tells of where God literally locks-it-up with a man named Jacob. The sports headlines read, "Smackdown 1906 B.C.: Jake vs. Jehovah!" 

Genesis 32:24 (NIV)
      "So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak."

Can you imagine telling your friends that you physically wrestled with God? The Hebrew word for wrestle in this verse means, to grapple (to get dusty). Bottom line... Jacob and God were literally rolling around in a cloud of dust - sweating, grabbing, twisting, pushing and pulling like two kids fighting over a PlayStation remote. The Bible goes on to say that when the scuffle was finished, Jacob walked away with a limp, a blessing and a new name (I'll have to blog about these three results some day!). Thankfully for Jacob, God shifted His tactic from fighting/warring against him to wrestling and engaging him hand-to-hand - which ultimately altered Jacob's character and destiny.  

Here's the Key: God fights with His enemies, but He wrestles with those He loves! 

• The Warrior uses weapons to destroy; the Wrestler uses moves to gain control.
• The Warrior keeps a distance from his opponent; the Wrestler stays close and in constant contact.
• The Warrior makes you bleed; the Wrestler makes you sweat.
• The Warrior dis-positions you; the Wrestler re-positions you.
• The Warrior makes you weaker; the Wrestler makes you stronger.

We are all going to experience some brutiful seasons with God. He's going to grapple against your will, but stay close by your side. He's going to allow you to struggle and sweat through tough seasons, while subtly re-positioning you for a better life. You simply have to believe that God's plan will never destroy you; His push is there to strengthen you; His grip is there to protect you; His squeeze is there to comfort you... and the weight of his Presence is there to cover you with His love!

The truth is, my greatest moments of change, advance and growth have only happened after I've experienced a Head-to-head "ALTAR-cation" with the Greatest Wrestler of all time...

Now, climb back in the ring and let Him finish what He started!