That night he arose and took his two wives, his two female slaves, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. And he took them and sent them across the stream. Then he sent across all his possessions. And Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the dawn. And when he saw that he could not prevail against him, he struck his hip socket, so that Jacob’s hip socket was sprained as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Then he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” And he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked and said, “Please tell me your name.” And he said, “Why do you ask this—for my name?” And he blessed him there. Then Jacob called the name of the place Peniel which means “I have seen God face to face and my life was spared.” Then the sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip. Therefore the Israelites do not eat the sinew of the sciatic nerve that is upon the socket of the hip unto this day, because he struck the socket of the thigh of Jacob at the sinew of the sciatic nerve. (Genesis 33:22-32, ESV)
How many of us have wrestled with God? Or an angel?
Well I guess we all could say we have, especially if we ever felt God calling us to do something and then we said, “really you want me to do that? I’m not able to do that…”
We all wrestle with God, maybe not in a physical sense but all of us struggle with following where He is calling us to go and be and to do what He is asking us to.
And just like Jacob we all have the opportunity to get a new name from God. At the font, God names us and claims us as His own. And while the pastor may use the same name out parents gave us, God calls us by a new name, “beloved child!”
You are His beloved child and by that name He is calling you…
aSacredRebel 