Genesis 32:22-32
Verse 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.
In her list of things a man would need to be if she were to marry, Ruth Bell Graham said, “His arms must be strong enough to carry a little child.” In our story today we encounter the pre-incarnate Lord and a meeting He had with Jacob and we see His strength displayed in His gentleness. God waited for Jacob to send his wives and children across the Jabbok so he was alone so God could have his full focus.
Jacob was a strong man. While he had started out as a mommy’s boy, he had learned the importance of working hard and taking care of his family. The time was coming when this man would need to start living the life God had called him to. For that he was going to have to understand who he was when compared to God, a mere human with human ideas and human strength.
Since God appeared as a man He didn’t use His supernatural strength to pin the guy once and for all, it wasn’t about defeating Jacob but about helping him fight with his pride the things in his life which held him back from being all God had called him to be. Notice they wrestled all night, it wasn’t that God couldn’t show him He was boss, God could have finished the match with a mere touch. In fact, it finally came to the moment when God simply touched his hip causing it to go out, putting an end to the match.
Jacob wasn’t ready to be done with the almighty and this battle of strength. Let’s face it, just as the Lord could have ended the match quickly by over-powering the man, Jacob could have ended it earlier by simply surrendering. The touch the Lord did choose to end the event when morning came, was one that took away Jacob’s ability to gain a food hold. But Jacob didn’t want to end it until God blessed him.
What Jacob didn’t understand was that God was revealing His great strength by not ending the match before Jacob could understand that it was God's blessing he needed. Jacob needed to come to the place in his life where he wasn’t trying to make it all on his own. He had to learn to rely on the Lord’s strength and wisdom to lead him through the coming years because some of His hardest years were still ahead of him. By limping along for the rest of his life, he would remember this night and the blessing of wrestling with the Lord.
Making It Personal
When have you had to learn the hard lesson of giving up control of your life? Have you found that God’s strength is better than yours? Do you see how surrender could be a blessing?
Making It Personal Kids
What kind of lessons do you think God wants you to learn? Are you willing to learn them or do you fight learning His ways? How could learning the lesson help your relationship with Him?
Closing Prayer
Father, we often wrestle with You because we struggle to surrender our will to Yours. Give us hearts which are ready to surrender. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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