'Wrestling with God'

strife, friendships that degenerate. The perfect example of someone in deep conflict with others is the Biblical character of Jacob.

Conflicts permeated Jacob’s life. He deceived his father and stole his brother, Esau’s inheritance. After he ran away from those conflicts, he experienced more. He was deceived by his father-in-law, Laban, who married him to the daughter that he did not want. Jacob had to serve 7 more years to marry the daughter he desired. Jacob deceived Laban, which diminished Laban’s wealth while making Jacob rich. Jacob’s brothers-in-law hated himfor tricking their father. Finally, Jacob fled that situation taking Laban’s 2 daughters and 11 grandsons. The situation was explosive. Jacob is caught between a rock and a hard place. He was heading toward his homeland. He finds out that Esau is coming at him with an army of 400 men. Laban’s family and tribe are hot on Jacob’s heels. He couldn’t go forward, and he couldn’t go back. Those conflicts led him to a crisis with God, a night’s wrestling match.

We are not unlike Jacob. We think we can run our lives by our own wit, charm, cunning, and manipulation. It all worked well for Jacob… until it didn’t. Jacob rejoiced over his deceptions and his success at grasping the wealth of two families until it imploded. He finally realized that he couldn’t blame his relational crises on others. His problems stemmed from his own heart. He needed a conversion. When he was between the rock and the hard place, he had it out with God. He wrestled with God all night. When morning came, Jacob walked away with a new name, Israel, and a limp that reminded him to not run from his problems but to humbly trust God.

God was willing to wrestle through the night—or however long it took for Jacob to ask for God’s blessing. God could have crushed Jacob but He didn’t. God loved Jacob too much to let him have it or let him go. God had finally gotten Jacob’s attention. You see, God would rather you be angry and intimate than self-satisfied and apathetic. God was thrilled to wrestle with Jacob until He gave Jacob a new name which translates both ‘struggles with God’ and ‘Prince of God’.

Have you stayed up at night filled with the anxieties of your inadequacies to handle your problems? Wrestle with God. Have you come to your wit’s end? Go to God. Are you frustrated and angry? Go to God with it. He won’t be intimidated or get His feelings hurt. He will wrestle with you as long as it takes because, in the end, He wants to bless you. God loves you that much!

Yours in Christ,

Jonathan