Darkness can offer the gift of physical and metaphorical rest. But scripture reminds us that we are not alone if, instead, we experience a disorienting dream or find ourselves wrestling intensely with the divine. In Genesis 32, Jacob wrestled with God through the night. “Then Jacob’s contender said, ‘Let me go, for day is breaking.’ Jacob answered, ‘I will not let you go until you bless me.’” Jacob rose the next day blessed and limping.
In Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope, Esau McCaulley writes about wrestling with the Bible and its place in the life of the church, particularly for Black Christians. He struggles directly with the ways in which the Bible has been literally and interpretatively manipulated in service of white supremacy. McCaulley writes, “Learning about the Bible changes our faith. ... If ourexperiences pose particular and unique questions to the Scriptures, then the Scriptures also pose uniquequestions to us. ... For those of us who want to continue to affirm the ongoing normative role of the Bible in the life of the church, it will not do to dismiss the concerns raised about the Bible from many quarters. The path forward is not a return to the naiveté of a previous generation, but a journeying through the hard questions while being informed by the roots of the tradition bequeathed to us. I propose instead that we adopt the posture of Jacob and refuse to let go of the text until it blesses us” (pp. 7, 20-21).
Practice and Reflection:
Wrestling is an embodied experience. You’re invited to set aside a quiet moment each day this week to notice your breathing. To pay gentle attention to your muscles and joints, nerves and blood flow. Where is there tension? Where is there freedom? Where is there pain or tenderness or tiredness? Where is there energy?
Do you find yourself “wrestling with the divine”? Do you bring a particular question, lament, demand, or commitment to the struggle? Can you feel it in your body? In the wholeness of your being? Can you relatewith McCaulley’s posture of refusing to let go until there is a blessing? Or do you wonder whether there is even a blessing to be had?