🏳️‍🌈✝️ Wrestling With God

Written by Debbie West

04/17/2018

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“So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.” Genesis 32:24

One evening I left a Celebrate Recovery meeting and walked to my car. The tears began before I could put the car in gear. I had come to a new revelation. I was mad at God.

I was at a crossroads in my life. If I wanted the recovery and healing I was looking for, I couldn’t deal with the mess my ex-boyfriend left behind any more. I couldn’t just work through my issues with friends or counselors. I needed to wrestle with God and why He had brought me here.

Jacob had his own wrestling match. Like me, he was drowning in his frustrations and fears. His brother Esau, whom he had wronged, was waiting ahead of him. Jacob had tried to manipulate his desired outcome of this meeting by sending gifts to his estranged brother. But, left alone one night, he wrestled with an angel. They fought until the morning when Jacob insisted the angel bless him and he received a new name and a new revelation.

Many of us think that it’s the people around us, or a lack of opportunity that are holding us back. Maybe someone hurt us deeply and we are finding it difficult to move on. But God’s hand leads us through each step in life. In our struggle between our plans and God’s, sometimes we have to wrestle with Him. At the end we might get a clearer picture of who He is and who He wants us to become.

Lord, help me take my eyes off of my struggles. Give me eyes to see who you are and who you are making me to be. Amen.

 

Go Deeper — Don’t be afraid to wrestle with God. Seek out a counselor or a mentor here at TheLife.com to walk with you.

More Information — In the Bible, God often gives people new names to reflect a new direction or a victory they have achieved. Abram became Abraham, his wife Sarai, Sarah. Jesus renamed Cephas Peter. Saul became Paul. Jacob means “supplanter” because he aspired to take his brother’s place. His new name was Israel, which likely means “wrestled with God.” This event was significant in his life, and in the future of his descendants.

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