40 Faces, 40 Places: A Devotional JourneySample

Jacob from Sheffield

Sometimes whole-life discipleship looks like wrestling with God.

Over the last six months, my frontline has been searching for a job. I have submitted over 120 job applications and attended around 30 interviews.

It has, understandably, been a very difficult six months. As a Christian, you can often feel bad when you lose your footing and question God. However, God has always provided. Almost every time I got a rejection from an interview, I received an invitation to another interview.

Wrestling with God isn’t a bad thing – it’s biblical, and we should talk about it more within the church. Knowing I had vast amounts of prayer support behind me throughout my applications and interviews encouraged me and helped me remain at peace.

It became clear that nothing worldly is completely reliable as time went on, so I had to trust the Lord solely. My perseverance throughout the struggles acted as encouragement to many people around me, and I could share my faith in my interviews because some of my experiences were from serving at church. A webinar course for young adults has also been an excellent opportunity to discuss my struggles with others in a similar boat.

Finally, in October 2021, I was offered a Sheffield University Management School position. God made it so clear it was the right one. It’s a great team, and I’m settling in very quickly.

Reflection

When Jacob says ‘wrestling with God isn’t a bad thing – it's biblical,’ he’s right. The key example is, of course, his namesake!

The biblical Jacob’s physical wrestling with God comes when he is in trouble and knows he needs God’s help, but before that, Jacob wrestles with God in prayer (32:9-12). Wrestling with God in prayer in times of need is a consistent theme and a needed lesson for all of us. We don’t have to hold back. We can bring our requests to Him – persistently.

Prayer

Lord, when I feel I may lose my footing, help me learn from both Jacobs’ stories. Help me draw on the prayer support of others and come to You myself with the difficult questions. Please give me the strength to persist and keep searching for Your ‘right next thing’ for my life. Thank You for Your provision.