You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. (Matthew 5:3, The Message)
I listened to a friend today really struggling with a difficult issue. Something has her stuck and unable to move forward. After she was encouraged to pray and really talk with God about what is holding her back, the story of Jacob wrestling God kept coming to mind.
Jacob was heading into a very anxious and uncertain situation. He was actually in a moment of panic and fear when a "man" suddenly appeared and began to wrestle with Jacob. Remember the story of how Jacob tricked his father Isaac into giving him the blessing intended for his older brother Esau? Well, suffice it to say, things did not go well between the brothers after the truth came to light. Esau had it in for Jacob, and rightfully so. That led to Jacob running away to live with his uncle in Haran. Now, Genesis 32 begins to tell the story of Esau and Jacob seeing one another after many years apart following their ugly separation. Jacob is understandably extremely nervous, thinking Esau still wants to kill him for that little trick he played. He begins to send ahead of him extravagant gifts for Esau, to soften him up. Then he sent ahead his family and all of his possessions.
I am not sure what made Jacob stay behind all alone on the eve of this fateful reunion, but we see that his being alone on this night made all this difference:
Genesis 32:24-30 (The Message)
24-25 But Jacob stayed behind by himself, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he couldn’t get the best of Jacob as they wrestled, he deliberately threw Jacob’s hip out of joint.
26 The man said, “Let me go; it’s daybreak.”
Jacob said, “I’m not letting you go ’til you bless me.”
27 The man said, “What’s your name?”
He answered, “Jacob.”
28 The man said, “But no longer. Your name is no longer Jacob. From now on it’s Israel (God-Wrestler); you’ve wrestled with God and you’ve come through.”
29 Jacob asked, “And what’s your name?”
The man said, “Why do you want to know my name?” And then, right then and there, he blessed him.
30 Jacob named the place Peniel (God’s Face) because, he said, “I saw God face-to-face and lived to tell the story!”
The first thing that strikes me about this passage is that Jacob is alone. If our wrestling with God is ever going to be effective, we need to devote time to being alone with God. So many people are afraid of being alone with or still before God, present company included. We must get over that! The results of Jacob's wrestling match required focus, time and lots of effort. So should our wrestlings with God.
Next, while this passage says Jacob wrestled with a "man", it is believed it was God himself in the form of a man (as Jacob realized in v.30). And let's not skip over the fact that they wrestled "until daybreak". That means all night. How's that for a rough night? Really, though, I am sure many of us have had times when it seemed like the "nights", the dark times, in our lives would never end, so unrelenting they can be. It can be hard to cling to God through a dark night, full of unknowns! But even the darkest, most painful night brings the promise of a new day and a fresh start.
We see that wrestling with God can cause discomfort and pain: "[the man] deliberately threw Jacob's hip out of joint". He would walk the rest of his days with a limp, as a reminder of his encounter with God. Sometimes God will dislocate things in our lives in order to bring us to the end of ourselves, so that we realize we cannot go on without Him.
By the end of this wrestling match, we see that Jacob is not the same as he began it. In a literal sense, his name is changed. Jacob means "deceiver" or "grabber". But as he engaged the Lord that night, the Lord issued him a new identity after the struggle was over. He is not who he was. Israel, "God-wrestler" was his new name. He went from "deceiver" to "prevailer". We, too, will be transformed and prevail when we cling to God! We, too, will not be who we were after a time of wrestling with God.
We also see that being persistent and bold with God brings blessing. We may struggle throughout he pain and loneliness of the dark night, but by daybreak, His blessing will come. God honors us when we cling to him!
What are you wrestling with today? Choose to get on the mat with God and work this thing out. Wrestling with God, even when we are angry or hurt, is better than running away - for we are still holding on to Him.
Loving Father - you never let us go. Thank you! Work out in us all that you must, for our holiness and effectiveness in your kingdom. By your grace, we are transformed and blessed!
+ I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go..I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (Genesis 28:15)
+ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
+ [Jesus:] “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. 4 You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. 5 You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. 6 You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. 7 You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. 8 You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. 9 You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family." (Matthew 5: 3-9, The Message)
You may be wondering why, if this man is supposed to really be God, verse 25 says he couldn't get the best of Jacob. It's not the he couldn't - but he allowed Jacob to hold on to him. That illustrates the grace of our God who will never leave us in our trials, fears and battles.
Loving Father - you never let us go. Thank you! Work out in us all that you must, for our holiness and effectiveness in your kingdom. By your grace, we are transformed and blessed!
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Application:
Application:
+ How long does God have to wrestle with you before you yield every area of your life to Him?
+ What does God have to dislocate in your life before you come to the end of yourself?
+ Do you need God to rename you to receive your blessing?
The Word:
+ I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go..I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (Genesis 28:15)
+ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
+ [Jesus:] “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. 4 You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. 5 You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. 6 You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. 7 You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. 8 You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. 9 You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family." (Matthew 5: 3-9, The Message)
