Wrestling with God
What blessing have you been asking God for lately? Do you feel like your prayers are going unheard and unanswered? This is a reminder that there will be times when God prolongs a blessing after a season of waiting and painful wrestling with Him.
The Wrestling Match
In Genesis 32, after twenty years in Paddan-Aram and hearing about the death of his father, Jacob decides to return home to Canaan with his tribe of wives, children, workers, and animals. It had been years since Jacob last saw his estranged brother, Esau. The last time the two were together, Jacob had tricked Esau into giving up his birthrights and deceived his father, Isaac, into giving him Esau’s blessing. (Genesis 25) There was a lot of tension, hatred, envy, and resentment between the two brothers when they parted ways. So, when Jacob heard that Esau was on his way to meet him - with four hundred men - Jacob panicked and was scared to death. (Genesis 32:6)
Jacob splits his household into two groups to avoid complete annihilation by Esau and his army. Suffering insomnia, stress, and anxiety, Jacob spends the night alone - in desperate prayer.
A strange man visits him and begins to wrestle Jacob until daybreak. During some point in the match, Jacob realizes he is wrestling with God. God doesn’t come to Jacob in a dream or vision as he had at other times (Genesis 31:13). Instead, God addresses Jacob’s fear by requiring him to wrestle all night.
When God decides it is time to end the match, He deliberately afflicts an injury on Jacob’s hip, causing Jacob to become more vulnerable. This forces Jacob’s faith to move fully and rest on God - not on himself.
This is a reminder that sometimes we want the comfort of God, but He sends it in unexpected and even unwanted ways. It is also a reminder that answered prayers may come with more than you expect.
Blessings Through Wrestling
Despite Jacob being in significant pain, he does not release God and instead replies, “I will not let You go unless You bless me” (Genesis 32: 26 NKJV.) This response from Jacob elicits an unexpected blessing from God:
“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob [deceiver], but Israel [wrestles with God]; for you have struggled with God and with men; and have prevailed” (Genesis 32: 28 NKJV).
Jacob then limps back toward his tribe to reunite with Esau despite having a weakened body, but a strengthened faith. Having wrestled with God, Jacob knew that God had taken care of and answered his prayers regarding Esau.
If necessary, God will cause us to limp to increase our faith. Wrestling with God changed Jacob’s entire identity. He was no longer the deceiver, the one who cheated his way through life, but instead he was made new again through God. He was no longer to be known as one who received his blessings by deception; instead, Jacob received God’s blessings by prevailing with God by faith.
God was the initiator. God had pursued Jacob for this match, it was not Jacob. When God calls us to wrestle with Him, there’s always more going on than we first understand and God always uses it to transform us for good (Rom. 8:28)
Jacob was in fear and anxiety, but the wrestling match drew Jacob out of his fearful preoccupation and forced him to focus on God. This is what God wants us to do in our daily lives. He does not want us to worry (Philippians 4: 6-7), for He is with us and He will strengthen us (Isaiah 41:10), for peace He gives us (John 14:27).
God will meet you in your anguish, fear, and uncertainty. What you need is God. So, when God calls you to wrestle with Him in prayer, it is an invitation to receive His blessings. He does not want you to let Him go, He wants you to stay with Him and not give up. He loves you and although His plans might not be exactly what you had planned, He is still blessing your life regardless of what you imagined the blessing would be.
He heard Jacob’s prayer, He hears yours too. He met Jacob, He meets you too. He redeemed Jacob and He wants to redeem you too. He sent His only son, Jesus Christ, down to earth to redeem us and through Him we are given this blessing. No one would expect that God could wrestle with us. I, for sure, did not think it was humanly possible, but it did occur and it can happen to us in ways we cannot imagine.
*Editor’s Note: A great song for a season of wresting is Praying for the Same Thing by Evan Craft