“So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 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.” Gen 32:24-25 (NIV)
Have you ever wrestled with God? Who won? Wrestling is part of being God’s workmanship. Jacob, as God’s workmanship, came to know God in a new way after a night of wrestling. Just like in weight training, without resistance there is no growth.
God allows us to go through seasons of uncertainty. God allows us to experience seasons of silence and yes, even seasons of suffering. We wrestle with God in those seasons. Our faith is challenged and often our prayer life is stretched. We come to know God by experience. Sometimes that experience involves pain.
As God’s workmanship, Jacob came away from the night of wrestling with a limp and a new name. You don’t come into close proximity with the living God and leave the same.
“Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.'” Gen 32:28 (NIV)
God is for you. He is willingly to go to any length to bring you into a vibrant, intimate, and growing relationship that is eternal.
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care
0 replies on “Jacob”
I love the quote, “You don’t come into the close proximity with the living God and leave the same”. We serve a BIG GOD, that has the power to change us if we will just stay close to Him in our journey. Thanks for the Word Bro. Stephen. Stay Vertical!