Make Room to Wrestle
This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that He would not win the match, He touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket.
Genesis 32:24-25 (NLT)
The longest wrestling match in Olympic history was between Martin Klein and Alfred Asikainen in 1912. The match lasted a staggering 11 hours and 40 minutes. Some might call it the most intense match until you set your sights on Genesis 32. The verse above said that a man, the incarnate Jesus, wrestled with Jacob until dawn. I find three words in this verse surprising: wrestled with him. Almost every time people speak of fights, wrestling matches, or even wars, people will say something like he wrestled against him. God was wrestling with him. Jesus could have supernaturally crushed him at any point. However, He engaged.
I sometimes wrestle with my kids, and by sometimes, I mean a lot. I’ll get on my knees or not use both hands. It makes for a fun match, but anyone watching knows I’m holding back. God wasn’t trying to crush Jacob. He was trying to get him to surrender to Him. He wants Jacob to trust Him. There can only be one Lord, and sadly, sometimes, I try to be the lord of my own life. I wrestle with God about His plans, directions and the decisions He puts before me. Jacob was no different.
Listen to what Charles Spurgeon says,
It was brave of Jacob thus to wrestle, but there was too much of self about it all. It was his own sufficiency that was wrestling with the God-man, Christ Jesus.
We sometimes look at Jacob and think what arrogance to wrestle with God physically. But if we’re honest and pull back the unsavory secret, most of us are no different. Sure, we don’t physically wrestle with God, but we resist His plans, His directions and His decisions. I’m learning God is okay with me wrestling with Him, but against Him doesn’t usually work well for me. What I mean is I’m honest. I tell God I don’t like this or that. I’m painfully honest about my struggles and my weaknesses. I wrestle with God about some of the people He puts in front of me. However, at the end of the match, I submit. I make room to wrestle, and then I make room for surrender. Both are necessary.
Application: God wants you to be honest about what you face today. Don’t hide. Wrestle WITH Him.
Prayer: Thank God that He gets close enough to wrestle with us, to grieve and struggle with us. Ask Him where you need to surrender and trust Him fully!
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?