Literature Ministries International


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November 5, 2024

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LEFT ALONE

"And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day." Genesis 32:24

Being "left alone" can result in a variety of reactions that can be meaningful to us. To some it might bring fear, concern, insecurity, and stressful circumstances. To believers it should be a time of searching our hearts before the Lord, when we focus on God and our relation to Him, when we examine the sincerity of our walk and life-style, when we seek to know His will and way for our lives, a time to evaluate our pursuit of His will with purposeful determination. In our day of living in "fast forward," we find very little time to be quiet...to come apart from all the rush of life, and simply find that quiet time where God can speak to our hearts, give insight to our needs, and direction to our walk. How necessary this is if we are to grow in grace and in knowledge of Him.

This is when God has the opportunity to minister to us, teach us, lead us, and reveal to us the secrets of His abiding presence so imperative to a triumphant spiritual journey. We often think that if we are not engaged in some spiritual project, consumed with doing "something," that we are "wasting" precious time. Let us be keenly aware that "time spent in the secret of His presence" is the most meaningful, beneficial, and fruitful time we will spend at anytime.

David wrote, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). How can we know God unless we spend time in His presence, to hear His care, concern, and compassion for our every need? It is there we bare our hearts before Him.

God took Jacob to a place called Peniel. In the stillness of the night, He was "alone with God." Someone has said, "To be left alone 'without' God would be too painful for words, but to be alone 'with' God is a foretaste of Heaven." This was a transforming encounter for Jacob, where he met God on HIS terms..."for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." His life was changed forever! God's touch upon his life exchanged the "supplanter" to a "prince with God." How remarkable! God said, "Thy name shall be called no longer Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed" (Genesis 32:28). "Left alone with God"--an encounter we all need in our lives!

The miracles of Elijah and Elisha often took place when they were "alone" with God. Moses was on the back side of the desert when he was "alone" with God, and God instructed him to lead Israel out of bondage in Egypt (Exodus 3:1-5). God spoke to Joshua, after the death of Moses, when he was "alone" with God, to lead Israel into Caanan (Joshua 1:1). Cornelius was "alone" praying when the angel came to him to send for Peter to come share the gospel in his house (Acts 10:2). Peter was "alone" on his housetop when God instructed him to share the Gospel with the Gentiles (Acts 10:9). So it was with John the Baptist (Luke 1:80) and John the Beloved, "alone" on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9). Let God "invade your life" with the blessing of His presence. To neglect this inconceivable opportunity is to miss out on all that God wants to do in and through your life. "And Jacob was left alone."

© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.


This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2024-11-05


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