Blessings Through Wrestling

Have you ever had to wrestle with God to get what you needed from Him? Let me introduce you to Jacob…

Jacob is one of those biblical characters who makes us tilt our head to one side like a confused puppy. On one hand, he is known as a deceiver and manipulator of people and situations. However, he is always named with the big trilogy of Old Testament patriarchs…Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

In summary, Jacob tricked his older twin brother, Esau, out his birthright and he conspired with his mother, Rebekah, to deceitfully gain the blessing of the eldest son from his father – a blessing Jacob was promised while still in the womb. You can read all about the Jacob/Esau narrative beginning in Genesis 25.

Because of Jacob’s trickery in obtaining the family blessing, Esau bore a grudge and vowed to kill his younger brother. Rebekah sent Jacob to live with her brother to save his life. See Genesis 27:41-46.

Fast forward twenty years. Jacob has married and has many children, but he is living under the harsh authority of his father-in-law (also his uncle – yes the family tree is complicated).

An old grudge has the potential to fester and be full of poison.

So imagine the oceans of emotions Jacob must have had churning in his stomach when God told him to “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” Gen. 31:3. 

But to do this, Jacob and his caravan of family, servants, and livestock would have to pass through Edom, Esau’s territory. Yes, God was going to have Jacob deal with his past. He was going to have to face the older brother he had deceived and deal with the family drama. Jacob had a fervent prayer meeting with God for deliverance from Esau in Genesis 32:9-12.

Have you ever dreaded seeing someone face to face knowing a hard conversation (or worse) was going to happen?

All Jacob wanted the night before the meeting was some peace and rest. God had other plans…He got Jacob alone in the desert and squarely and physically confronted him in the form of a WWE angel (who was really God). I mean to tell you, they wrestled all night long. Jacob begged the God-angel for a blessing and refused to stop wrestling until he got it. Jacob got his blessing along with a hip-joint that was dislocated by a touch from God.

Boom…there it was. The blessing he connived and deceived his family for was given to him by God. What a long way to go to get what God had spoken over him before he was ever born.

Anybody else thinking, “Yea, I’ve done that.” In our effort to hurry God’s plan along for our lives, we take things into our own hands. It takes some Holy Spirit discernment to know when to take proactive steps of faith and when to stand still in faith let God do His thing in His time. Whew…help me, Jesus.

Some amazing things happened once Jacob wrestled for that blessing.

• Jacob became courageous. Instead of being fearful in the back of the entourage meeting Eau as he originally planned, he came out front to be the first to meet him (Genesis 33:3). Fear is a roadblock. On the other side of fear is our destiny! On the other side of Jacob’s fear, forgiveness and restoration of his brother was awaiting.
• Now that Jacob had God’s blessing, he didn’t need anyone else’s blessing. Jacob had brought hundreds of animals as a way to appease his brother, but after Jacob’s encounter with God, they became a symbol of restoring Eau’s loss of blessing.
• Jacob had a spirit of humility all over him. He addressed Esau as master. He referred to himself as a servant.  He bowed seven times on a dislocated hip. When God gets ahold of us, we can’t leave relationships in a mess. We will do what we can to make them right.
• Jacob’s identity was changed. No longer would he be known as the deceiver or heel-grabber. No, he would be known as Israel, meaning “he who strives with God”.

Sometimes, to get what we need from God, we might need to wrestle with Him.

It might be an all-night prayer session. It might be a season of discontent. It might be a burning desire that only He can quench. Whatever it is – respond like Jacob.

I will not let you go unless you bless me. Gen. 32:26

You might walk with a limp for the rest of your life – but it will only be a sweet reminder that you have the blessing of God all over you!