One of the best stories ever, in my opinion, is Pride and Prejudice. My favorite version is the one with Colin Firth that is several episodes long. In one scene he professes his love for Elizabeth saying, “In vain I have struggled and it will not do.”
Vain can be defined as “producing no results; useless.”
We sometimes sing a hymn that begins “In vain and high and holy lays my soul her grateful voice would raise, but who can sing the worthy praise of the wonderful love of Jesus?” In vain my soul cannot produce the praise worthy enough for Jesus.
I have always promised in this blog to be open and honest. So, I say in vain I too have been struggling lately.
In Genesis 32, Jacob wrestles with a ‘man’ who is later said to have been God Himself. Jacob comes away limping with a hip injury from his bout with God.
That is how I have been feeling lately. Limping along because of my struggle with God. Oh, I’ve been praying and going through the motions of life, but in vain.
God made us to crave Him in our lives. When He is not, or our relationship is not what is should be, we feel it and begin to search. Sometimes in vain we search in the things or people that will not fill what we need.
Only God can fill that void in us that is so like a chasm sometimes.
In the past couple of months, I have felt that chasm so deep sometimes, that it has been hard to even breathe. But my God has brought me through it.
My struggle was not in vain. God never gave up on me. He is my rock, my shield, and He is my teacher and comforter. He has brought people into my life that He knew I would need during some of the most difficult times. He has always been there; I just needed to be in the dark for a while so I could see the Light.
Don’t struggle in vain. Don’t let your struggle be useless and produce no results. Let the result be a closer walk with God and faith like you’ve never had before!
He will do it, if you wrestle with Him!
