When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. – Genesis 32:25

Have you ever heard the phrase “addition by subtraction”? You often hear it used by sports analysts when an athlete leaves a team. Take the Texas Rangers, for example.

In 2000, they signed Alex Rodriguez, or “A-Rod,” to the biggest contract in sports history. He was one of the best shortstops in the game! Yet the Rangers finished last in their division three years in a row.

After trading A-Rod to the New York Yankees three years later, the Rangers finished the 2004 season only three games out of first place in their division! This is a good example of addition by subtraction.

In the same way, God often removes things from our lives that we consider very important. But in the end, we see that by removing that thing, we are better off.

In today’s verse, we see that Jacob lost something that was extremely important to him: his ability to run! That’s right. Jacob’s pattern was simple, he would deceive and then he would run away. He ran from Esau after stealing his birthright and he later ran from Laban, taking all his possessions with him.

However, after the Lord injured his hip, Jacob was forced to confront his biggest fear. He had to face Esau. And much like the Prodigal Son, Jacob was welcomed with open arms by Esau. By subtracting his ability to flee, God added back Jacob’s brother.

The Lord may be removing dependencies in your own life. What you may be missing, though, really may be God’s provision through these times.

How is the Lord taking care of you even while stripping away things you thought you needed? I want to encourage you to look for the addition that results from God’s subtraction.

Prayer Challenge: Ask the Lord to show you how He is using a recent loss for good.. 

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