Designed for Struggle: Working Through the War in Iran

Introduction

In his books Anxious Generation and The Coddling of the American Mind, Jonathan Haidt and his coauthors propose an interesting theory. The idea goes something like this: the reason American teens, college students, and adults are fighting many mental battles is because they have not been allowed to or exposed to enough struggle in their lives. Jonathan and his peers qualify this theory in two ways. First, they don’t deny that people are still struggling in certain ways. Our teens, for example, seem to be under more pressure than ever from school and from organized, busy schedules. Second, they are not dismissing mental illness under the guise of a one-size-fits-all antidote. There are those who struggle with real, clinical issues that require professional-level care. Their thesis, however, is that, in general, the American psyche is fragile.

To make their point, they use studies and illustrations. One illustration they used was of trees grown in a laboratory environment. The intent was to experiment with farming under a dome on another planet. In the biosphere, the trees that they were growing fell over well before maturity. As the scientists investigated why this happened, they discovered that without wind resistance, the trees had not developed roots or “stress wood” that could sustain their size. They learned that resistance was actually a critical part of tree development. As the tree struggled against the wind, the roots dug deeper and stronger.

If we think about it, the idea that struggle leads to strength is something we know intuitively. We work out with resistance weights so our muscles will tear and rebuild stronger. We know that shortcuts often lead to worse results. We intuit this truth from our life experiences.

When I think about this, it reminds me of a story in scripture that became the foundation for a nation. It all starts in Genesis 32. Jacob is in distress. He is returning after many years to his brother Esau after fleeing for his life with his birthright and blessing. The text says that he was “greatly afraid and distressed” in verse 7. His plan was to send out a parade of gifts and people in the hopes that Esau would be forgiving and allow him to return. As the parade departed, he was left alone in the camp.

The Jabbok River - the river where Jacob "wrestled with God"

It was at this time that something happened that I find hard to understand. Seemingly, with no context and no buildup, the text simply says, “a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.” The two of them were locked in an evenly matched struggle. When the unidentified man did not prevail, it says he touched Jacob's hip and put it out of joint. As day broke, the man said, “‘Let me go, for the day has broken.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’” Apparently, the man agrees, and he changes his name to Israel.

Israel is a combination of two Hebrew words. El is the word for deity. Sarah (the same as the name) is the word for to strive, content, struggle, or even wrestle. If you put them together, you get (I) sra el. The man (clearly now identifying as not merely a man) says that is Jacob's new name because he has “striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Obviously, God knew what he was doing when he applied that name, not just to Jacob but to his chosen nation. Over the course of the next 1500 (3500?) years, you could sum up the entirety of Israel’s existence by saying that they struggled with God. This idea of struggling with God is something that we carry forward into the New Testament and into our lives. I want to consider a few things that I have found interesting about our struggle.

God invites us into the ring (so to speak)

Although most of us are not part of the physical nation of Israel, God has invited us into the community of his covenant people. We are spiritual Israel, and we, too, strive with God. I think one of the hardest things to understand is how Jacob could be “evenly matched” with God (or however you want to describe this divine being). The only thing that I can think of is that God would condescend or lower Himself to make this an even match. Yet that is exactly the terminology that we use to describe the incarnation of Jesus. In a familiar passage, the writer of Hebrews says that he was “tested in all points as we are yet without sin.” So in a way, we have been invited into the “wrestling match” that God wants us to be part of. It is not a physical match, however, but one of our own mind and will. Consider how we might struggle with God.

First, we wrestle with simply understanding God. This account is a great example. What does this event fully mean? How did it transpire? What does it tell me about God? I don’t know that I have all of the answers. In a way, scripture actually guarantees that we won’t have all of the answers (“My ways are not your ways”). That being said, God invites us into the fray. He wants us to wrestle with his nature. He wants us to build strength through the mental exercise of comprehending his deity. I think of Paul in Romans as he attempts to bring that church along with him on a journey of understanding. He even says in regards to something they cannot get their minds around, “How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” Yet in the midst of that discussion, he uncovers more about God and his plan for salvation than we get in any other book. God wants us to attempt to comprehend the uncomprehendable because he knows it will lead us to greater holiness and a deeper understanding of him.

Second, we struggle with God's commands. If you have ever met someone who claims they don’t struggle with the demands of Christianity, I think it would be safe to call them a liar. Paul writes that all have sinned and fallen short, yet we are given commands to be holy and perfect and blameless. Life is a constant struggle to eliminate sin and be the people that God wants us to be. All the while, we are cognizant of our own failings and shortcomings. The only way to describe this tension is that we wrestle with it. Again, to quote Paul, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” In this section of Romans 7, he sounds like a crazy person. I want to do one thing, yet I seem to keep doing the very opposite. Sound familiar? More could be said about this, but I think to stick with our theme, consider how wrestling with sin can make us stronger. In Acts 3:14, Peter accuses the people of denying the Holy and Righteous One. You might be thinking, “thats rich coming from Peter!” Not two months ago, Peter was the one standing in the courtyard denying Christ. Yet that is exactly the point, Peter is one who is done denying. He has known the pain, he has known the hurt, he has known the sin. He would never deny Jesus again, and tradition tells us it ended up costing his life. The struggle made him stronger.

Third, we struggle with life's issues. If you make it to the conclusion of this article, I mention a pretty big struggle that caused a lot of heartbreak and headache for a lot of people. This is just the reality of living. Things happen to us that are unpleasant or hard simply because we are part of a fallen humanity.

Struggle is an inevitable part of our existence

Building on that last idea, although we don’t like it, there is ample evidence that we are destined to struggle. No one has made it through life without experiencing some sort of hardship. Conflict is so integral to the human experience that it actually is what makes stories interesting or believable. Think about the last time you watched a movie or read a book. Did the protagonist get out of bed, commute to work, come home, go to bed, and live happily ever after? Or was there a struggle, conflict, or hardship that befell them that they had to overcome?

Even if there are no explicit obstacles, the idea of work itself involves struggle. Solomon in Ecclesiastes explores all of these ideas and more. He recognizes that under the sun it is good for a man to work. He further recognizes that, although we work, our lives often feel like we are striving (another word in the struggle category) after the wind. We struggle with our bodies and their frailty, we struggle with our minds and their fragility, we struggle with our emotions and their temporality. Our life is destined for this struggle.

One could argue that we are even designed for struggle

With all of that in mind, I want you to consider one more point: perhaps we are not only destined to struggle, but we are actually designed for it. One of my favorite analogies about Bible geography is how the wilderness wandering relates to our Christian existence. The wilderness wandering is characterized by two water crossings. It begins when the Israelites cross the Red Sea and ends when they cross the Jordan into Canaan. The analogy goes something like this: our Christian walk also starts with water - the waters of Baptism. Our promised land, the rest, as the Hebrew writer puts it, is what happens either when we die or when Jesus returns (for the Christian). This, in a sense, is the second water - when we enter into the rest.

If these are the markers of our existence, then where do we figuratively spend our entire Christian lives? In the wilderness. We have left the comforts of Egypt behind (our sinful life) and have voluntarily ventured into the wilderness, where we have nothing but God to lean on. This is exactly what God wants for us. Just as the Israelites realized their only path to survival was through God, who provided for their needs, we need the spiritual food and water supplied to us by God.

What is the problem with that? It is a struggle. It's hard to rely on something or someone else. God’s character is such that he has given us no reason to doubt, yet we doubt. God supplies beyond what we can even ask or imagine, yet we wonder if he still hears or provides. Seemingly, the best place to be in our lives is a constant state of dependence. We wake up, still in the spiritual wilderness, longing for rest, and willfully engage in the mental and physical struggle of trusting in God. It's what we are here to do.

Consider one more point regarding this idea that we are designed for struggle. If this indeed is how we are designed, why might that be the case? Remember, we have already explored the idea that resistance is actually necessary for strength. We don’t want our spiritual trees to fall over from a lack of roots. James says we should cultivate a joyful attitude when we encounter trials, because we know that the testing of our faith produces patience. That patience, then, when it has had its full effect, makes us complete.

We are not designed for struggle because God is malicious and just wants to see us flounder. Ultimately, we have been given this life to glorify God. We can do that in two ways. First, by engaging in the struggle, building deep roots, and trusting in Him. That way, we declare that he is worthy of our effort, time, and attention. Second, we declare his glory by anticipating a rest. We may be designed in this life for struggle, but we know there is coming a day when the struggle will be over. God has promised that after a short time of difficulty, we can have an eternity of rest.

What does it all mean?

So if we are invited to wrestle with God, we are inevitably going to encounter struggle, and we are perhaps even designed for it, how does that apply? By now, unless you are living under a rock, you know what is going on in the Middle East. Bible Passages feels a very close connection to Israel because of our work and time spent studying about, traveling to, and teaching about the land. There is no other word for the emotions that we have; we are experiencing some struggles.

One thing I haven't mentioned so far is that, although we may be designed for struggle, it still doesn’t make it fun. It is hard to have an eternal perspective on the things that happen in our lives. It is especially hard to consider it a joy the closer we are to any given event. When it just happened, it is hard to put on a smile, so to speak.

Consider the range of emotions that we have to wrestle with in our own minds over the recent events.

We hurt for our brothers and sisters in Christ

As far as we understand it, there is a very limited population of New Testament Christians in Israel. We have developed a close relationship with the church in Nazareth, and we hurt for their particular struggles. Their livelihoods have been impacted, their loved ones endangered, and their country threatened. They are alone in the country as the only church, and yet they are still trying to be faithful. Our hearts hurt for them.

Also, as I understand it, there are also brothers and sisters in Iran. We have met individuals from Iran who have escaped to other parts of the world. They tell us of conversion stories, of hidden Bibles, of parental faith. Although we have no firsthand knowledge of faithful members of the Lord’s body, it does fit the pattern of God’s church. People have been able to find the truth throughout history and follow it. Although we don’t know them firsthand, our heart also hurts for those in Iran.

We yearn for peace and freedom for the Middle East

We, like most people, would like to see peace come to the Middle East. There are many who hold a fatalistic view of the idea that there could ever be peace in the region. I don’t know that I subscribe to that line of thinking. I especially don’t in light of the promises of Scripture. Jesus' work, words, and power are strong enough to accomplish anything.

There are evil people everywhere in the world, and they, in the name of self-interest or misguided understanding, stand in the way of peace. What should happen to those who rebel against God and his mission? What is our responsibility from our home in the West to interfere in the East? What are the limits of our means to accomplish God’s mission? We don’t purport to have all the answers (or maybe even any answers), but we know that God is in control, and we wish that all could live in peace.

We agonize over the loss of life

Regardless of motivation, righteous or otherwise, war brings death. We know that there can be just reasons for fighting (although some have used the guise of righteousness for personal gain). Yet, each person killed, regardless of race or nationality, is made in the image of God. Jews, Palestinians, Iranians, Saudis, Jordanians, Americans, and whoever else you can name are directly in harm's way. This loss of life should not be minimized or trivialized. We can become desensitized to it, or worse, cheer for it because of the distance, the constant news coverage, or our longstanding bias against a people.

People are important. People matter. In the face of what seems to be building into a long, drawn-out war, we hurt for the people involved. We pray that there can be minimal loss of life, and we pray that all can come to a knowledge of the truth before their death.

We hope for a better tomorrow

If you have gotten this far, you might be thinking that this is simply a depressing article devoid of any answers or help. There is fairness and truth in that assessment. We don’t claim to have any answers or some great insight into this conflict. That is often what it means to struggle. I don’t understand it, but I have to engage with it. I know God is sovereign, but I can’t seem to find my place or my footing. I want so many things, and they seem to conflict. Should I support military action, or should I decry the loss of life? Should I stand up in support, or should I protest? Although we don’t have answers, here are some helpful thoughts.

First, we have to engage. There is an instinct to “stay out of it.” At the risk of getting too bold, I would assert we have taken this path far too often. Under the pretense of remaining pure, we have failed to engage in the difficult discussions of our age. We have left the conversation open to interpretation by a host of interest groups, but we (Christians) have remained quiet. This is the opposite of what should happen - Christians should be leading the discussion and representing God’s voice. Okay, if we have to engage, then the next question is how? You might say to yourself, "I need to stay out of it because I don’t know enough to offer a resolution." That brings up a second point.

The struggle is the destination. The desire to avoid conflict comes from two sources. We don’t want to intentionally do hard things, and we feel like we don’t have the answers. Interestingly, I don’t think God expects us to have the answers. In my mind, the invitation is this: get in the ring and fight - win, lose, or draw. God has the answers. He has provided them to us, and he wants us to fight for him to uncover their applications to modern contexts. What we cannot do is sit out because it seems hard. God wants us to get in there and battle in the fray. When we do, we build deep roots and represent our Lord.

Third, we do know some things for certain. Although we don’t have all the answers, we do have some. The theme of Revelation is that God wins. I don’t believe at all that Revelation is talking about the specific issues with Israel and Iran today. Nor do I believe it is referring to any specific physical conflict we may experience. What is being talked about, however, is a cosmic conflict. Things are happening in the spiritual realm that impact our physical existence. What is comforting about that thought is that we have been given the resolution to the spiritual conflict. God has conquered. He wins. And we will all get to enjoy his victory if we are found on his side.

Conclusion

If you subscribe to my theory - that we are designed for struggle, then these things should come as a comfort. Although we may dislike it, we expect it. Through the mental exercise of wrestling, we become stronger and more equipped for the next struggle. More than that, if we are exercising our Christian principles, we are becoming conformed to the image of Christ, who also struggled even to the point of the cross.

I believe (although I hope for something different) that the difficulties in the Middle East are just beginning. Christians play an important role in the difficult times of history. We are here as representatives of God, standing up for him and his desires. Sure, it is going to be a struggle, but it just might be it's the one we were made for.

Photo Credits: Fallen Tree Photo by Andrew Yu on Unsplash; Wrestling Photo by C.F. Photography on Unsplash; River Photo by Jack Anstey on Unsplash; People Photo by Duy Pham on Unsplash