Drawing Near to GodНамуна

Day 10: Wrestling with God

Read: Genesis 32

Your name will be no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome” (Gen. 32:28).

Jacob had been a wrestler from birth. The second of twins, he even came out of his mother’s womb grasping his brother Esau’s heel—in itself a pretty good wrestling move. His name even meant wrestler, sort of. It was “Jacob” which means, “he grasps the heel” or figuratively, “he deceives” (Gen. 25:26).

That had been his career up to this point; he wrestled well, but he wasn’t a good wrestler. He was effective, but sneaky, and used his skill to cheat his older brother Esau out of his blessing. Esau’s rage required that Jacob spend the next several years of his life in exile. Even there he wrestled with a father-in-law, Laban, who also knew how to put on a few good wrestling moves.

Now, in this chapter, he is going home hoping to reconcile with Esau. The night before he meets Esau he prays, “O God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant....Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau” (Gen. 32:9-11).

Jacob is a different man at a critical point. Now he prays humbly for God’s Mercy, where before he would have tried to manipulate the situation. But he is not done wrestling. He wrestles with God for the blessing and gets it (Gen. 32:26-29)! God gives him a new name, “Israel,” which means “he struggles with God.”

God loves this kind of wrestling. Not much good comes from wrestling with people; resentment rises and enemies are usually made. Not much good comes from wrestling with life and work either; sleep comes hard and ulcers form. “In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat” (Ps. 127:2).

“Toiling” is another word for fruitless wrestling. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Wrestle with him for the blessing, not people and circumstances.

“Resist God, in the sense of rejecting God, and you will not be able to resist any evil. But resist God in the sense of closing with God, cling to him with your strength, not your weakness only...and he will give you strength. Cast yourself into his arms not to be caressed but to wrestle with Him. He loves that holy war. He may be too many for you and lift you from your feet. But it will be to lift you from earth and set you in the heavenly places which are theirs who fight the good fight and lay hold of God as their eternal life” (from P. T. Forsyth, The Soul of Prayer).

PRAYER: My soul clings to you, O God. You alone have the Words of Life. I will not let go till you bless me.