Experiencing God's Presence #285

This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break.

Genesis 32:24

Jacob had issues, particularly that nasty episode with his brother that had never been resolved. Years earlier, he had tricked his father into proclaiming Esau’s blessing over him instead. Then Jacob fled in fear that Esau would kill him. Now, after marriage, children, and years in a far country, Jacob was returning home. He would soon see his brother face-to-face. And he feared the prospect of his past catching up with him.

Jacob was left alone in the camp, and God (as a man) came and wrestled with him all night. It’s one of Scripture’s strangest stories—until we reflect on the picture and realize we’ve been there. There are times when we are left alone to wrestle with God, when past issues loom over our psyche and threaten to burden us with consequences and conflicts we don’t want to confront. At such times, God’s Presence is painful but purposeful, provoking a catharsis or cleansing from old wounds. It can be an intense, exhausting struggle, but eventually dawn comes and we receive a blessing for having contended with God—and ourselves—face-to-face.

For your relationship with God to arrive at any depth, it has to include some of these wrestling matches. Old wounds must be healed, and it’s sometimes a messy process. When your past and your God come face-to-face, it can be an intense encounter. But it’s a necessary one, and it leads to blessing—sometimes even a new name. The struggle lasts until dawn, but only until dawn. And with it comes a new day.

Lord, the dark night can be overwhelming. Sometimes You seem to oppose me and strengthen me at the same time. But I know there’s blessing—and the dawn of a new day—at the end. Let it come quickly.

From the book