Limping Toward Reconciliation

 Genesis 31-33; Luke 13 

“The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip…Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men…But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.”

Genesis 32:31; 33:1, 4

Conflict in relationships consumes a significant amount of emotional and physical energy. As Jacob limped toward his estranged brother Esau and his four hundred men, fear gripped his heart.

Would his attempts to pacify his brother with gifts be successful?

Jacob needed a miracle from God. Only God can change hearts. Transformation must begin in us first before God can heal conflicted relationships. Jacob’s awareness of his own brokenness grew through the dislocation of his hip. Jacob’s deception, once his strength, became his weakness. Esau watched a broken, limping Israel approach him and his heart was moved and his heart was changed. The years these brothers shed were the fruit of changed hearts. God still reconciles and heals relationships today as we, too, experience our own brokenness and approach one another in humility.

Have we noticed our own ‘limp’ yet?

“Lord Jesus, I repent for pride, fear, and lust, and acknowledge my brokenness. I’m in need of your grace, healing, and strength, for your glory.”