Dear Friends,
We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk. We give thanks to Rev. Richard Giesken, associate lecturer, for writing this devotional.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
Genesis 32:22-31
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 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. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[a] because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[b] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel,[c] and he was limping because of his hip.
Devotional
Have you ever struggled with God? Perhaps it is a struggle of knowing how to move forward. Perhaps God has called, and you’re wrestling with the cost of that call. Perhaps, like Jacob, you are moving toward what God has called you to, and unexpectedly you find yourself ambushed by God!
Jacob's life had been marked by deception and rivalry, and now he faced the consequences of his actions, even though he was now “heading in the right direction.” Like Jacob, we often find ourselves wrestling with the residue of our past as we move forward in our search for meaning and purpose. We might quote, "If God is for us, who can stand against us?" but in this case, if God is wrestling against us, how can we prevail? And yet, we are told, “the man” did not prevail against Jacob.
In the struggle, not letting go, Jacob receives a blessing. So often we think of struggle as a negative, but here we see that transformation comes through the struggle. In the midst of the struggle, we can find blessing and a sense of purpose. Even in our moments of doubt, fear, and vulnerability, we can find divine grace and blessings. When we encounter the Lord in these places, we may limp forward, knowing that we have overcome.
Wrestle on. Don’t give up.
Prayer
Almighty God, amid our struggles and wrestling with You, we seek your grace. Help us to embrace the transforming power of these moments, knowing that blessings and purpose await us. Grant us the strength to persevere, patience to endure, and hope to hold on tightly to Your promises. May we find joy in the journey, confident that You are with us every step of the way. Amen.
Rev. Richard Giesken - Associate Lecturer (Biblical Studies and Missiology)