Genesis 32:22-31
New International Version (NIV)
Jacob Wrestles With God
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 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. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[a] because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[b] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
Benjie Kim shared about ‘encountering God in the midst of ugliness’ from his reflections during a recent vision trip to Thailand. Despite being a deceiver and a liar, Jacob encountered God in Genesis 32:22-31. An encounter with God does not require (a formula for) us to remove our idols. An encounter with God requires us to confront our past; to understand that all we really want in life is blessings; and to embrace your limp. Jacob wrestled with God all night long, and was taken to all the places he doesn't want to go. He gave you your pain and weakness to embrace and empower. God’s blessings communicate He sees you, He loves you, and He has your back. We are all created to receive a blessing from God. It's about our Lord Jesus Christ becoming weak first to save us.
by Arnold Wang
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