Wrestling with the Lord

Genesis 32: 24-28

24And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." 28Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed


When we look at this match between Jacob and the Lord, we can see just how much the Lord loves us. If you find yourself asking why would God spend so much time on Jacob, you have to look no further than the mirror. The Lord will take that much time with any of us.

Jacob has spent his whole life fighting one battle or another. (sound familiar?) God has gone through Jacob’s whole life trying to get him to see that all he has to do is trust in the Lord. SO here God finds Jacob in between battles. Just leaving the 20-year scrape with Laban, and heading in to try and make peace with his brother. God sees his chance, and shows up for a wrestling match. There are a few things to note about this event. First this time there is no vision, there is no revelation, it is one on one in your face full contact wrestling. Anyone that has ever wrestled before knows just how well you come to know the person you are wrestling with. It is a level of contact that does not happen often. It might sound weird at first, but during that match Jacob is closer to God than he has ever been before. Also note that “a man wrestled with him” God started it….he was the instigator. God will get personal. When he has a point to make he is going to get your attention.

So they go at it for the whole night. You might wonder why so long? Was Jacob so strong that he could hold off the Lord all night? Of course not! One touch to the hip and Jacob’s hip is wrenched; the fight could have been shut down at any moment. It lasted all night because Jacob was going to learn this lesson, and as we have seen Jacob is stubborn! Even in the end as daylight is breaking, and the hip is hurting, Jacob is not going to quit without a blessing…..and he gets it, and true to God’s ways not only does he get a blessing, but far more than he imagined. I dare say that this is exactly they type of man that god is looking for. God does not need cheerleaders, as much as he needs people who will fight. People who understand that no victories, moral or spiritual are won without a battle.

Finally why would God give him a limp? I don’t know for sure, but for me, and using my personal experience….I can tell you a story about every scar on my body. I remember where I was, what was going on in my life, and exactly how it happened. I would bet that the limp would forever remind Jacob of the night he spent intertwined with God.

I know most of us can relate to the story. We all have wrestled with the Lord. Maybe not on a physical level, but on a spiritual one for sure. We can fight all we want, and the Lord will go toe to toe with us. Honestly, I think he likes that. You have to be pretty close to the Lord to wrestle him. I can’t think of a better place to be!

Peace,
Rev. T