Encouragement for Today
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April 24, 2025 Holding On to God When Life Feels Messy and Unclear Lee en español |
“… Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Genesis 32:28 (NIV)
“When God is doing a deep work, there is a lot you can’t explain. There’s a knowing yet no plan. There’s unshakable hope yet endless tears. There’s gratitude while learning grit. You don’t know what comes next, but you do know this: Whatever He is doing, you’ll never be the same.”
I wrote those words in the middle of a season that felt impossible. I felt God calling me away from a job I loved, yet I had no idea what came next. In the days after, I felt stuck and painfully uncertain. I held on to God with all I had, but His plans seemed hidden. I craved clarity, but all I had was the faint sense that He was still at work — despite my panicked heart.
Maybe you’re in your own in-between season where God’s plan feels hard to grasp. And yet you’re determined to hold on to Him. These are the moments when we wrestle with Him.
When you wrestle with someone, it’s up close and personal. It’s messy and exhausting and demands all you have.
Consider the way God came to wrestle Jacob in Genesis 32. Jacob found himself stuck between leaving his past and stepping into God’s call for his future. God could have intervened in any way, but He chose to wrestle. For Jacob, this was an act of clinging to the One he struggled with while releasing the outcomes he had tried to control his whole life.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
But the wrestling itself wasn’t the point. After a long night of grappling, Jacob demanded a blessing — and God gave it to him: “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome” (Genesis 32:28).
When the struggle ended, Jacob walked away with a limp but also with a new identity. Jacob wanted God to remove the challenge, but God wanted him to be changed.
Friend, your wrestling isn’t wasted. Like Jacob, your struggle will mark you — not with defeat but with God’s transforming work. I know this because I’ve lived it.
The season that once left me feeling lost and unsure was the very place where God met me. I didn’t get the clarity I wanted, but I got something I needed: a deeper trust in Him. The wrestling was never about where I was going; it was about who I was becoming.
You may not know what comes next, but you can trust this: God’s not just working on your circumstances. He’s also working on you. Your struggle isn’t proof of God’s absence but a sign of His nearness. Hold on! When you come through this, you’ll see you were never alone.
Lord, I believe I’m in a season of wrestling, and I don’t understand what You’re doing. Help me to hold on to You, even when it’s hard. Change me through this process, and remind me that Your work in me is always good. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
OUR FAVORITE THINGS
If you or someone you love is in a season of wrestling, Ashley’s new curriculum is for you! Designed to accompany her bestselling book, Tired of Trying: How to Hold On to God When You’re Frustrated, Fed Up, and Feeling Forgotten, this four-week study is packed with biblical encouragement, personal stories and practical application to help you hold on to God through your greatest fears, deepest pain and unanswered questions. Ashley knows what it’s like to feel spiritually exhausted and discouraged — but she also knows the power of wrestling through it with God. Don’t walk through this season alone. Order your copy today!
ENGAGE
You can find more encouragement from Ashley on her Instagram, where she shares daily reminders about who you are and whose you are!
If you feel stuck in this season, Ashley has a FREE series for you: “What if You’re Not Stuck? 3 Days to Uncover What God Might Be Doing When You Feel Like You Can’t Move On.”
FOR DEEPER STUDY
Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" (NIV).
Is there any area of your life where you are tempted to lean on your own understanding? How might wrestling with God help you submit all your ways to Him? Share your thoughts in the comments!
© 2025 by Ashley Morgan Jackson. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org