Genesis 32:24-28
And when Jacob was left alone; and there he wrestled a man until the breaking of day.
And when he saw that he prevailed not, he touched the hollow of his thigh, and Jacob’s thigh was out of joint.
And he said, let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let you go until you bless me. And he said unto him, what is your name? And he said Jacob.
God asked him what his name was because God cannot bless you if you do not know who you are first.
God did not want to bless who Jacob thought he was or even who Jacob wanted to be.
After he came face to face with who he really was then, and only then, could God bless Jacob.
Now that Jacob has come to terms with who he really is, God can now change his name.
We expect God to change who we are without first acknowledging who we are without Him.
We want God to change us when we don’t even know who we are. Why do we think this is actually possible? It does not work that way. God doesn’t get glory from that.
You can wrestle with God and STILL LEAVE THE SAME WAY!
Just because you have wrestled with Him does not mean you are going to leave different. You have to want to leave different. Jacob could have let go at anytime but he holds on. God literally dislocated Jacob’s thigh but yet there he is, still fighting through the pain you know he has to be feeling. Jacob fought through the pain of holding on to God, even when his circumstances said he needed to let go. He could have just left that day with a limp but that’s not what he wanted.
I heard a preacher say one time that Jacob wrestled until he won. Some of us need to stop giving up because we are hurt. Jacob left with a new identity that day. He was not willing to stay that same.
Don’t wrestle with God and leave with nothing to show for it. Wrestle until you win. Wrestle until something changes. Don’t let go just yet, your name change is coming!
Carried With Grace 