24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 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. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."27 The man asked him, "What is your name?"
"Jacob," he answered.28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, [e] because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."
29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name."
But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there.30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, [f] saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."
31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, [g] and he was limping because of his hip.
Genesis Chapter 32
I hated watching Wrestling on T.V. Not because I hate violence or anything like that, but wrestling on TV is show more than fight- wrestlers walking around the ring holding a mic, showing off their baboon outfits. Haha, I prefer not to go to the outfits. But I recently read about wrestling in the bible. One of the more bizarre moments in the entire biblical history- perhaps dramatic and adrenaline-pumping. In the above passage, God came down and wrestled with Jacob. I don't know about you, this is something I just could not fathom. Would that even be a fight? But God came alright, and Jacob actually said "game-on" and they wrestled for the whole night.
Dictionaries define wrestle as "a struggle" or "Engaging in deep thought, consideration, or debate". This was the attitude when Jacob came to a crisis point of his life- he (with all he had) was about to meet with his greatest adversity- his brother Esau (whom he had greatly offended) with 400 strong men. Jacob was possibly about to lose everything. And the night, God came as a man to face him and wrestled with him. Jacob knew this was his only chance- win and he might actually get God Himself to spare his whole family- so he gathered all his strength and fought God!
Until it was nearly dawn, God said "enough is enough", touched Jacob's hip and dislocated the bone there. Jacob was no match. However, he did not give up. He had nothing to lose, he held on to God and said "bless me or I will not let you go". That day, Jacob's life was transformed. For all his life, he cheated and deceived to get all he had. And learnt the lesson the hard way. This day, he met God "face to face" and wrestled with God Himself- and God said he had overcome. Not just that, Jacob got a new name "Israel" . The name that means "he struggles"; the name that was to be the identity of Jacob's house and God's people.
Are you in a situation like what Jacob is facing right now? Much is against your stake; 400 problems stack at your doorstep; or just people who opposes you; dreams unfulfilled? desperate for God but not just quite there yet? In my tiny and inexperience life, I have always find myself in one or more categories of the above- even now- I feel I could get closer to God. But God is not far away, He wants to see you face to face. In fact, He had already provided the way to do so through Christ Jesus. Yet, our Lord wants to wrestle with us- through prayer. He wants to be so desperate for His blessing that we would say "I would not let you go unless you bless me". In Colossians 4:12, Paul writes to the Colossians about one of their local boy Epaphras, who "is always wrestling in prayer for you". Not a wonder why only Epaphras was mentioned as being so intense in the struggle- He was one of them, and cares for them a lot. What had God put for you in your life that you care so much? What is it that you want God to bless you with? Don't struggle with yourself (in your mind) or anyone else- struggle with God in prayer- God will give you the blessing- and maybe a new name.
Dictionaries define wrestle as "a struggle" or "Engaging in deep thought, consideration, or debate". This was the attitude when Jacob came to a crisis point of his life- he (with all he had) was about to meet with his greatest adversity- his brother Esau (whom he had greatly offended) with 400 strong men. Jacob was possibly about to lose everything. And the night, God came as a man to face him and wrestled with him. Jacob knew this was his only chance- win and he might actually get God Himself to spare his whole family- so he gathered all his strength and fought God!
Until it was nearly dawn, God said "enough is enough", touched Jacob's hip and dislocated the bone there. Jacob was no match. However, he did not give up. He had nothing to lose, he held on to God and said "bless me or I will not let you go". That day, Jacob's life was transformed. For all his life, he cheated and deceived to get all he had. And learnt the lesson the hard way. This day, he met God "face to face" and wrestled with God Himself- and God said he had overcome. Not just that, Jacob got a new name "Israel" . The name that means "he struggles"; the name that was to be the identity of Jacob's house and God's people.
Are you in a situation like what Jacob is facing right now? Much is against your stake; 400 problems stack at your doorstep; or just people who opposes you; dreams unfulfilled? desperate for God but not just quite there yet? In my tiny and inexperience life, I have always find myself in one or more categories of the above- even now- I feel I could get closer to God. But God is not far away, He wants to see you face to face. In fact, He had already provided the way to do so through Christ Jesus. Yet, our Lord wants to wrestle with us- through prayer. He wants to be so desperate for His blessing that we would say "I would not let you go unless you bless me". In Colossians 4:12, Paul writes to the Colossians about one of their local boy Epaphras, who "is always wrestling in prayer for you". Not a wonder why only Epaphras was mentioned as being so intense in the struggle- He was one of them, and cares for them a lot. What had God put for you in your life that you care so much? What is it that you want God to bless you with? Don't struggle with yourself (in your mind) or anyone else- struggle with God in prayer- God will give you the blessing- and maybe a new name.
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