Hold On!

“I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26).

     Have you ever wrestled with God?  Have you ever prayed and knocked, seeking an answer or your next step for days, weeks, or even months?  Have you ever cried out, over and over, “What do You want me to do, Lord?” If so, you have been in a wrestling match with God.

     Genesis 32:22-32 contains a strangely beautiful story of a wrestling match that transformed Jacob from a schemer and manipulator into a humble man whose testimony was marked by the limp he carried with him the rest of his life. Jacob tricked his brother, Esau, out of his inheritance then ran away to his uncle’s house. This bad boy was finally called by God to return home to face the mess his greedy heart had made. After sending his family and all his possessions to the other side of the river, Jacob found himself alone, at night, worried his brother might kill him.

     What transpired next was amazing! A man, also called “the angel of God’s presence” in some versions, wrestled with Jacob until daybreak (Genesis 32:24).  That wrestling match stripped Jacob of his pride, his misconceptions, his tired, worn-out, ineffective strategies and the useless defense mechanisms of his past. He also learned that he could persevere more than he thought. Jacob was put by God into the perfect position to begin learning a new loving design for his life.   

Wrestling matches take time. 

     I have learned that wrestling matches with God take more time than I would like.  God insists on persisting when I keep resisting! Much time is needed for God to get to the root of what keeps us from becoming more like Jesus. The encouraging news is that when we ask, God strengthens us to survive a long wrestling match or we would perish before the night is over.

Wrestling matches cause good wounds.

    Like Jacob, God has to put our hips out of joint, burst our bubbles, or put some hurt on our prideful hearts so we can be healed, and move forward with Him.  Our false self has to die so the real self God created in us can live. Our battle scars are not shameful; they are testimonies of God’s healing grace.

Wrestling gives us a new name.

      When dawn came, Jacob told God, “I will not let You go until You bless me.”  Despite a dislocated him and a long night, Jacob was determined to receive the good that God had for him.  God blessed Jacob with a new name and a new identity.  He was no longer to be known as a schemer.  God re-named him, “Israel,” a name that proved he had persevered in that wrestling match and a name that predicted a powerful successful future.  God wants to give each of us a new identity as well if we are willing to admit we need help and strength, if we are willing to let God set the pace of our progress, and if we do not let go of God until He blesses us.

Prayer:

Abba, help me recognize when I am in a wrestling match with you.  Show me how to respond and give me the strength to hold onto You until You bless me.  Amen.

Written by Stephanie Murillo

Scriptures for further study:

Luke 18: 1-7

Romans 8:37

1 Corinthians 15:58

2 Corinthians 12:8-9

Hebrews 5:7

Psalm 115:13