We in the churches in the Lord's recovery are God's chosen ones. We are in His hand, we are on His way, and I am fully assured that we are also under His dealing. Whether or not you realize it, recognize it, or admit it, the fact is that you are under the Lord's dealing. Sooner or later, you will have the sense that you have been touched by Him. When that time comes, you will know that you are limp and that you will never be the same. You may still have your weaknesses, but you will not be the same. If you still can be the same, it is an indication that you have never experienced the Lord's touching.

With Jacob, the Lord's touching was once for all. But with us, there may be several touchings. Nevertheless, the principle is the same. Many of us can testify that since the day we first loved the Lord, especially since we came into the church life and began to follow the Lord in His recovery, we found ourselves in circumstances where we were being dealt with. We were constantly wrestling. For a long time, we did not realize that the Lord was dealing with us. One day, the Lord suddenly touched us, and we came out lame. After that, we were not the same. Perhaps we were still natural or weak, but we were not the same.

Do not expect that by one touch your whole living will be changed and that you will be totally transformed. No, with Jacob, the touch occurred in chapter thirty-two, but the maturity, the ripening, was not fully manifested until chapter forty-seven. From chapter twenty-six through chapter thirty-two, there were many failures, mistakes, and wrong doings. After being touched by God, in chapter thirty-three apparently he had not changed very much, but actually, in life, he had had a great change. Prior to chapter thirty-two, Jacob was natural, never having been touched by the Lord. But after chapter thirty-two, whatever he did, he did with a limp. From then on, the impression he gave to people was quite different. When he bowed down to Esau, he was still natural, but his limp testified to the Lord's touching. Have you ever realized that as Jacob walked toward Esau and bowed down to him, he was limping? Esau did not see a whole Jacob, but a crippled one. Here we see that while there was no change in his living, a change had occurred in his life. It was not the outward living that was touched by the Lord; it was the inward, natural strength that was touched by Him. The sinew of Jacob's thigh had been touched.

Few Christians realize the crucial significance of Jacob's experience in this portion of the Word. Most devote their attention to dealing with outward sin, wrong doings, and worldliness, never thinking that their natural life, natural strength, must be touched. But the Lord is not only concerned with changing our outward living; He desires even more to touch our natural life. Whether or not you exchange words with your wife, if your natural life has not been touched, you are still natural. In the eyes of God, there is not much difference between losing your temper with your wife or controlling it. If you lose your temper, you are you, and if you control your temper, you are still you. But once Jacob had been touched, though outwardly he was the same as before, inwardly his natural life had been dealt with. Humanly speaking, of course, I like to see the brothers and sisters change their attitudes towards their spouses. But deep within, if their inward being remains the same, I do not appreciate this outward change. When you behave badly, it is difficult for the Lord to work Himself into you. But when you are good, it is the same. In fact, it may be more difficult for the Lord to work Himself into you because you are so good. It is not a matter of outward change or improvement; it is a matter of inward touching. Your inward sinew, your inward natural strength, must be touched by the Lord. We all need this touch.

As we follow Jacob, we may be touched again and again, for with us the touch may not be once for all. After we wrestle for a while, we shall have the deep conviction that we have been touched. The Lord always touches us at a certain crucial spot. Whenever He touches a particular part, we are lame and can no longer be the same in our inward being. From then on, we limp and are no longer whole.