Wrestling With God

·29 min·2 clips

Cade Richards describes sleeping on hardwood floors due to excruciating back pain that left him hobbling in Walmart aisles.

Cade Richards, campus minister at West-Ark Church of Christ, opens by shifting from his usual motivational tone to a deeply personal lesson. He asks what the church truly invites people into, emphasizing a relationship with God rather than just community. Cade explains his love for Old Testament stories because they require personal interpretation, unlike the direct teachings of the New Testament. He then recounts his severe back pain starting in May 2023, which caused sciatic pain down his leg and forced him to sleep on hardwood floors. The pain was so debilitating he could only stand for two to three minutes at a time, even needing breaks in Walmart aisles. During this period, he also contracted hand, foot, and mouth disease and COVID, attributing it to a weakened immune system from emotional and spiritual low points. Cade describes crying out to God daily for healing but feeling met with silence, leading him to question God's presence and feel frail for the first time. He reflects on fears of never being able to play with future children due to his condition. Despite surgery in September, he continues to experience pain and limitations. Cade uses this experience to ask why God seems silent in answering important prayers and whether the church allows for tough questions or pretends everything is always happy. He introduces the biblical story of Jacob, summarizing Jacob's life as a deceiver who stole his brother Esau's birthright and blessing. Cade reads Genesis 32:21-32, where Jacob wrestles with God all night until God dislocates Jacob's hip to immobilize him. Jacob demands a blessing and receives a new name, Israel, meaning 'one who struggles with God.' Cade connects this to his own life, noting how God forced Jacob into stillness, just as his back pain immobilized him. He explains that God's action was like anesthesia for surgery, making Jacob helpless to rely on his own efforts. Cade emphasizes that Jacob's limp made him vulnerable, showing complete dependence on God. He concludes that blessings are gifts to be received, not earned through manipulation or hard work, and relates this to the gospel message of salvation as a gift from God through Jesus Christ. Cade encourages listeners to wrestle with God in their struggles and find peace in relinquishing the illusion of control.

As heard by us

A Genesis sermon about honest struggle, blessing, and learning to wrestle with God.

Cade Richards moves away from a familiar campus ministry pitch and lands on a simpler question: what people are being invited into when they talk about God and Christ.

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Why you'd press play

When you want a Genesis sermon that treats Jacob’s fear and blessing as part of the same wrestle, start here.

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