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Hear here the story for today: https://bit.ly/33gh8dl
22 But during the night he got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He got them safely across the brook along with all his possessions. 24 But Jacob stayed behind by himself, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he couldn't get the best of Jacob as they wrestled, he deliberately threw Jacob's hip out of joint. 26 The man said, "Let me go; it's daybreak." Jacob said, "I'm not letting you go 'til you bless me." 27 The man said, "What's your name?" He answered, "Jacob." 28 The man said, "But no longer. Your name is no longer Jacob. From now on it's Israel (God-Wrestler); you've wrestled with God and you've come through." 29 Jacob asked, "And what's your name?" The man said, "Why do you want to know my name?" And then, right then and there, he blessed him. 30 Jacob named the place Peniel (God's Face) because, he said, "I saw God face-to-face and lived to tell the story!" 31 The sun came up as he left Peniel, limping because of his hip. (Genesis 32:22-31 The Message)
Welcome to Wednesday's ConCafe, dear Friend! May the Lord bless you and keep you, and enrich your life through time spent with Him in prayer and study. We continue to pray for the needs of all who seek healing and wholeness. I just received this prayer request from Jane Haley regarding her husband Mike; he is facing "a very dire cancer diagnosis" and this before their 50th Anniversary. Jane herself has gone through cancer twice, and we should pray for a miracle. Please join me in praying for this dear family from Bastrop, TX. We continue to pray for Janie Vela, and now we add Janie's father-In-law, Isidro Vela who also has Covid-19 and in the hospital. We thank God that he is responding well to treatment. Janie continues critical having been moved to Corpus Christi with Covid-pneumonia. Please pray for their healing. Pray for our nation and our needs, and for the whole's great needs. Pray for one another, and pray for yourself and whatever needs and challenges you face.
You and I have probably had some incredible dreams, some that we wish could last longer, if not forever; and yes, we've probably had some nightmares from which we were glad to be awakened. Thankfully, most of us have not had dreams where we have awakened with injuries. Well, our runaway rascal Jacob, in today's passage did not dream this, though some have called it such, but his night involved a long wrestling match with one of God's angels. I would have to say that Momma's Boy did pretty well for himself in not giving in completely to this messenger of God, but he didn't walk away like he entered in, for he was left with a limp due to a hip being out of joint. And he also, again, got a blessing out of the deal! And a new name. Jacob was now named Israel, as this version shares, it means "God-Wrestler." And his name became the name of the people of God, and to this day his nation is called Israel. It fits them perfectly, for theirs has been a long tradition of people not completely or blindly accepting whatever God has asked or directed; they have wrestled more than they should, and still they march on. Jacob, immediately after the name change, gets the blessing he requested. And he names the place where this took place, "God's-Face" because it was there that he "saw God face-to-face and lived to tell the story." And it's a good thing there were no smart phones in those days, so that when it came time for entertainment, it was up to Israel to share stories from his history, and what stories they were! You know the grandkids enjoyed them and marveled at them; his kids, well, they may have changed from marveling, to being embarrassed, to that sad day many of us reach, where we say, "How I wish Grandpa/Dad was still here. I miss his stories and I want to learn more...." And that's true for Momma/Grandmama, too.
I share again what I believe with all my heart, that if faithful, we may encounter God in marvelous ways and we may even walk away with a new name, if not from God, from those who have seen and believed the change. I shared how The Rev. Dr. Daniel Rodriguez, who died last weekend was my pastor as a boy, and it was his wife, Eveli, or Billie, as we call her, upon my ordination came up to me and said, "When you were a child, I would never have believed you would become a minister, and here you are." I took that as a compliment; for I went from being GT (Gordo y Travieso*) to being pastor/minister/Reverend, my new names. Some of you have gone from non-believer to Christian; others from church-attenders to followers and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some from pedigree bearers** to powerful personal sharers of God's grace. Others have gone from being doubters to doers, and active ones at that; some from unconvinced to confirmed servants of God. Some have gone from being distrustful of people different from them, to loving friends and neighbors, and brethren of others. If we are open to God, God will work a needed change in us, and will take us to the next level of faith and service. And sometimes, God will begin to work the change even though we are not aware of such a change or find ourselves resisting it. Stay tuned, God's not through with you, or me!
PRAYER: Loving God, as we pray, many of us are confessing that name changes that have come our way were needed. We again ask for Your forgiveness for having stayed with some original names rather than seeking to know You well enough to receive from You the new name. We pray for all whom we know that may still be resistant or ignorant of needed growth; bless them, for we know You never give us on any of us. We praise You and thank You for all You have shared with us, in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share your new name with someone today and tell 'em how you got it!
Receive my blessings of joy and laugher,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
*Spanish for fat and mischievous **"Grandma/Grandpa built this church or (fill in the blank)
Another link on which to listen: https://anchor.fm/eradio-valverde/episodes/Name-Changing-Experiences-ehc7od
