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How to wrestle with the Lord...

I wrote a post earlier this year about wrestling with the Lord. Every time I read Enos I think about this word: wrestle.

Enos uses other words:

my soul hungered

cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication (I love the word supplication - it has the same root as the word supple)

poured out my whole soul

struggling in the Spirit

prayed with many long strugglings for my brethren...

And (finally) after the Lord covenants with Enos, he says his soul did rest.

This morning I was reminded of others who had similar experiences with the Lord. Jacob, in Genesis 32, wrestles with an angel and obtains a blessing. The brother of Jared is promised great blessings because of his willingness to obey the Lord and because he had prayed diligently and for a "long time." The blessings promised to each of these three men are very similar. The question becomes - what do we want? What do we desire? How can we obtain these blessings for ourselves?

The answer seems to be - be prepared to wrestle a little bit. Or a lot.

But the reward... so worth it.


Comments

Amie Cobb said…
I didn't really appreciate this scripture until I watched my son wrestle for the first time. Wrestling is THE most demanding sport there is, and it takes all of your blood, sweat and tears to win. It also takes a lot of stamina...something we need at times when conversing with the Lord.

I can also picture Joseph Smith translating and coming to this section. Being a wrestler himself, I can imagine that "wrestle" was the word he would use to describe what Enoch was doing.

Anyway...I think a lot about this scripture, especially this time of year (wrestling season.) I have a new found appreciation for it.
December 15, 2010 at 6:59 AM
Bill Cobabe said…
Agreed. (of course!)

Mom threw the towel in for me once. I was dying. Really. This dude was 6'2" and weighed probably 300 pounds... At least, he seemed that way to me. I was only a scrawny kid (yes, there were a few minutes of my life when I was skinny)... I didn't know that it was possible to breath THROUGH the mat, but this dude showed me how... I'll never forget that. Nor mom throwing in the towel. She's always been a little embarrassed that she did it, but I've only ever felt gratitude... HA!

My (extremely limited) experience with wrestling has taught me the same things you mention. And watching you and your wrestles has taught me a lot, too...
December 15, 2010 at 7:19 AM
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