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Scripture
Genesis 32:22-31
22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
25 When
the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the
hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with
him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him.
30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. (NRSV)
Devotion
I love the story of Jacob's wrestling match. Jacob is on his way home to face his estranged brother Esau. Knowing that his life is on the line, he sends first his servants and then his family on ahead of him. Then, he spends his night wrestling with an unknown figure. It is only at daybreak, when the mysterious figure blesses Jacob by renaming him Israel ("God contends") that he realizes exactly with whom he as been grappling. There in the darkness, Jacob has seen, heard, and touched the very God that he had spent his whole life both praying to and struggling with. Before the newly named Israel continues on his way, he names the place Peniel..."face of God."
It is no coincidence that the name "Israel" becomes applied to Jacob's many descendants. Even when things are going well for them, the Children of Israel chafe at following God's instructions. When life is hard, they accuse the Almighty of abandoning them even as they beg for help. When the Lord of Hosts does appear to offer aid, they tend to misrecognize and struggle against God. It is only after God reveals himself to them through special blessings that they realize who they have been contending against. The other cultures of their day would expect a wrestling match with their deity to end in death, but the God of Israel continually blesses the very people who struggle against him. And they move on, they praise the one who lets them continually contend against him and live. It is in the people's constant wrestling that they "see" God's character and come to know who the Holy One of Israel really is.
Many of us feel uncomfortable of the idea of wrestling with God. Because we fear angering the Almighty, we act as if we must meekly accept whatever happens in our lives as just being part of some inscrutable plan. And this is particularly hard when life is at its most painful. But the God of Israel does not demand blind obedience. Instead, the Holy Spirit invites us to be honest and come to him with our doubts, insecurity, pain, anger, and mistrust. For it is when we wrestle with God that we get to truly know the one who made and sustains us. As the first rays of the morning pierce through the dark night of the soul, we receive an unexpected vision of the Almighty's presence in our lives.
Scripture shows us that there are many ways of wrestling with God. Sometimes, it is simply admitting that our faith is struggling and asking for help. Others, it's letting the Lord know exactly how hurt or angry we are about something and asking how on Earth God could let that happen to us. And sometimes it is grabbing onto God with everything we have and refusing to let go until we receive some kind of assurance...some kind of blessing. However, we contend with God, we are assured that when we grasp onto the Holy One tightly and refused, we will emerge from the struggle forever changed. We will be known as those who have striven with both God and with humans and prevailed.
If there is something you are spiritually struggling with right now--if there is something that keeps you awake at night--don't feel as if you must hide it, ignore it, or walk away from it. Instead, I urge you to invite the Holy One to a wrestling match. As you grapple with God, your faith will deepen and your understanding will grow. And the God of Israel will bless you for having the tenacity to keep holding on as you await the answers and assurance you need.
Prayer
Holy One, there are times when we need to wrestle with our faith. Hold us close as we grapple with you so that we may come to know your blessings. We trust that you will bring us to a time when we can say with wonder that we have seen your face. Amen.
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