Tuesday - October 4, 2016

Woodlawn Family Bible Study
TUESDAY

 BIBLE READING:  Genesis 32:22-32

 Do you want to be blessed? That sounds like a rhetorical question, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t want to be blessed? I guess it really depends on your definition of “blessed.” Many people desire blessings that will make them wealthy or, perhaps, material goods. However, being blessed is not limited to those physical things. In fact, sometimes we can be blessed in the most unusual ways. For instance, in Genesis 32:26, we find Jacob wrestling with what we often call an angel. Within the story, Jacob is overtaking the angel and holding him down; refusing to let go until the angel gives him a blessing. The angel obliges Jacob, but not in the way he might have imagined. The angel changed his name from “Jacob” to “Israel,” but he also did something else. He put Jacob’s hip joint out of socket, causing him much pain and difficulty walking. In part, his blessing had to do with him walking with a limp. How is that a blessing? Perhaps it served as a daily reminder of who Jacob was. 

 Sometimes blessings come in the most unusual ways: through suffering. It serves as a reminder for us to be aware of Who is in control of the situation and how we are helpless without Him. 

 Application: Anything can be a blessing if we just look at it from a different perspective. How have you been blessed?

 Prayer Request

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