by Tim Hall

His childhood home was just a short distance away. It had been many years since he had been there. But as Jacob lay down to sleep that night, he couldn't deny he was frightened. After all, when he left many years ago, his brother felt very defrauded and had vowed to kill him. As far as Jacob knew, nothing had changed between him and Esau. He had trouble sleeping that night.

During the night, "a Man" accosted Jacob. They struggled until it was nearly dawn. When the Man asked Jacob to release him, Jacob refused. "I will not let you go unless you bless me." The Man then pronounced a blessing upon Jacob by giving him a new name -- "Israel", the prince of God. The blessing was bestowed because "you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." In the process of the struggle, though, Jacob's hip was thrown out of joint, and he walked afterward with a limp. But as he limped away, he recognized that he had been wrestling with God Himself! (The account of this episode can be read in Genesis 32:24-31.)

There are times when each of us is challenged to "wrestle" with God. No, it's not actual physical combat, as in the case of Jacob. But through the trials that come our way, we are challenged to confront our previously-held notions of God and His will for our lives. Not everyone accepts the challenge. Many simply walk away from the scene, deciding that God evidently doesn't love them as they once thought, or else He wouldn't have allowed this to happen. Some give up entirely on the idea of God. These refuse to wrestle with God.

Those who choose to engage in the struggle will be blessed. Note again that the Lord blessed Jacob "for you have struggled with God . . . and have prevailed." Don't conclude from this that God can be defeated by man; that's not at all what this teaches. Instead, God is shown as One who sometimes pushes us a little farther than we thought we could go so that we might grow. The wise teacher assigns homework that looks too demanding, but knows that those who struggle with the assignment will learn much. God knows how much wrestling we can endure. He also knows we will be blessed for having engaged Him in the struggle.

Of course, like Jacob we may walk away from the ordeal with a limp. In extraneous ways we will be less than we were before the trial. But in our souls we'll be joyful because we will know we've been blessed by the Lord. His blessings are far more glorious and longer-lasting than a perfect gait. We are happy to limp, as long as we limp with the Lord.

". . . Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9,10, New King James Version).