Similar to the Thorn in the Flesh, the Limp is a reminder of our relationship with God. The idea comes from the story of Jacob. After sending all of his caravan on without him, Jacob was alone in camp. A man showed up and they wrestled all night. As dawn broke, the man told Jacob to release him, but Jacob would not until he received a blessing. The man touched Jacob’s hip and left him with a limp. The man then blessed Jacob and changed his name to Israel, saying that he had wrestled with God and lived. It was the limp that established a reminder for the path he would be on for the remainder of his life.
I am struck by two things in the story. First, the reaction of Jacob when he discovers he has been wrestling with God. Jacob thought he was wrestling with an angel (a concept which, in itself, boggles the mind), but then realized he was wrestling with God. Jacob had to be completely awestruck. This came at a time when the common belief was that if anyone saw the face of God, they would die. The second point that strikes me is that God was willing to wrestle with Jacob (at all) throughout the night. When they appeared to reach a stalemate, God simply touched Jacob’s hip, leaving him with a tendon injury resulting in a limp. It has been theorized that Jacob (Israel) had that limp for the remainder of his life.
If you have experienced a significant interaction with God in your life, you may have a limp. It may be a physical, emotional, or mental scar that reminds you regularly of your interaction with God. Jacob would have been constantly reminded, every time he walked with his limp, that he had wrestled with God in order to receive the blessing he sought.
Unlike the thorn, which is a reminder of our weakness and our need for God, the limp is a reminder of an interaction with God that has left us scarred in a way that we are acutely aware that God is ultimately in control. As we go through our lives, we may have different limps (or thorns) for different stages of life. We are reminded of how God has brought us through some significant event, whether it be traumatic, growth, or spiritually awakening. Whatever it was, it has been life altering and has brought us to a new level of understanding our relationship with our Creator.
My left elbow will never be the same. I can feel the metal plate that is holding the pieces of bone together and my arm doesn’t straighten to its full extent. I can function, but it is a constant reminder that I was changed by an event that God brought me through and I will never be completely the same. Yours might be less literal.
Truth be told, we all have a limp. It may be to differing degrees. It may be that we don’t recognize it. At some point in our lives we experience an interaction with God that changes who we are and how we look at things. It may happen more than once. It may be happening right now. It will leave a mark. It may leave a scar.
