Wrestling With God

Wrestling with God

MY QUESTION for GOD

What does it mean to wrestle with God?

A MOMENT with GOD

During the night Jacob got up and . . . crossed the Jabbok River. . . . A man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.” “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.” . . . Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.”

Genesis 32:22-30

It was time for Jacob’s life to be radically changed. Jacob the deceiver had to become Israel the defender of God. Jacob, the shrewd negotiator who knew how to get ahead in life, had to learn to see from a heavenly perspective. The name Israel literally means “God prevails.” But the angel turned the meaning around to mean “You have prevailed (or struggled) with God.” In other words, Jacob could now become victorious in life because he finally recognized he could not overcome without the power and authority of God. When Jacob received this new name after his encounter with God, it was a turning point, a divine moment, in his life. From then on his life had to take a new direction if he was to be a worthy leader of the people of God. In what areas of your life are you wrestling with God? In what areas do you think you have it all figured out? In what areas do you rarely, if ever, ask God for help? It is in those areas especially that you must let God’s power and authority overcome you. Then be prepared to go in new directions and live a life worthy of a child of God.

DIVINE PROMISE

I CAN DO EVERYTHING THROUGH CHRIST, WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH.   Philippians 4:13