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Claiming Your Baggage

Claiming baggage can be complex. Going to the carousel at the airport and waiting for all those bags to start dropping and moving around, many can look alike. You may have to check a tag to see if it’s yours. You may be keenly aware of your bag if you are like me. I purposefully get bright bags and put bright ribbons on them to distinguish them from others, making it easier for me to claim.

My bags have been so heavily packed at times that I have had to wrestle with them to claim them and pull them off the carousel. I might even need to seek assistance to lift those heavy loads off.

We are sometimes required to "wrestle with God" to get where we need to be. There are many instances in Scripture where people wrestled with God. Jacob, for example, had a strained relationship with his brother, and he had to wrestle with God to get what he longed for. He persevered throughout the night, wrestling with God until he encountered the desired outcome. (Gen. 32:24-32)

Jacob's son Joseph also wrestled with God. Remember what his brothers did to him and how much he had to overcome? Joseph's perseverance in wrestling with God through his trials gained him more favor.

Moses, Paul and Silas, Esther, Job, and Noah are others who wrestled with God to gain God's favor.

There are some ways that we can wrestle with God to obtain that favor and get our baggage claimed:

Fasting in Prayer.

Pray without ceasing.

Joining forces with other people of God to intercede for the desired will of God.

Sing praise! Sing through the night, if you must!

Working in a position you don't necessarily want to, but must in order to get where you need to be.

Maintaining a kind and righteous attitude before God and man even when things are difficult.

Stepping out in faith, believing that God is with you ... aka do what He has called you to, scared or not.

PRAYER:

Jesus, help me wrestle in prayer, praise, and faith with You to claim my own baggage. Help me recognize and unload this baggage that You did not mean for me to carry alone. Show me a better way. Your yoke is easy, and Your burden is light. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.