holding on...

In Genesis 32 we come upon a scene where God, in the form of a man, is wrestling with Jacob—a man of many devices.  All his life he was able to get what he wanted.  He obtained a second wife whom he had to have; a dozen children, additional flock, his brother’s birthright, and by deception, his father’s blessing, that was to be his brothers.  Jacob was a man of passion; and his passions kept him from receiving God greatest and most fulfilling blessing—Himself.  As the scene unfolds, we find the Man wrestling with Jacob down by the river Jabbok.  The similarity between Jacob’s name and the name of the river is purposeful—divinely purposeful.  The word wrestle in Hebrew is the word for Jebok.  So Jacob, at the Jabbok river, is about to Jebok with a Man.  If you say those words quickly, you will find that you can become tongue tied rather quickly, and that is exactly what God desires for us to experience.  Not being tongue tied, but to experience the similarity of sounds.  You see, if God cared to make the river where Jacob was standing, sound like his name, and the act of wrestling to also sound like his name, then is it possible that God was trying to communicate something very important?  Before I tell you what that might be, I need to mention that the Jabbok river is a very twisted and winding river.  It is only seventy-five miles long but if you were to stretch it out, it would stretch out to over several hundred miles long. And to make this a little more interesting, the word Jacob means, Palm of Hand, or Grasper. The palm of one’s hand is curved; crooked so to speak.  Jacob is the crooked man who grasps after that which is not his to possess.  In line with his crooked and grasping nature, he is always planning and scheming to get what he thinks will bring him the most happiness.

        So the stage is set, the battle has begun.  After an all night wrestling match, the Man finally appears to be tiring (is this possible if it is God?);  the text reads that the man saw that he was not able to prevail against Jacob.  Now at first glance it would appear that Jacob is winning the fight.  I have to wonder why God allows us to have our way; He loves us so much he will not force us to obey.  I almost wish He would; but then it would not be true love. So after the long night of wrestling, the man touches Jacob’s hip socket and moves it out of joint.  Jacob might be winning the fight, but he sure doesn’t have a supernatural touch that can dislocate joints.  This is One powerful person!  If He is so powerful, then you would have to wonder why He says what He says next:  “Let me Go…”  Why not just touch him again?  If I had the power to dislocate someone’s hip with the touch of a finger, I wouldn’t be asking someone to let me go; I would be pointing my finger at his head and asking if he would like another touch!  If I was Jacob and just had my hip dislocated, I would have let go long ago…but not Jacob…in fact he gives the most unusual response—“I will not let you go!”  Why? Because for the first time in Jacob’s life, he realizes that he has been fighting against God Himself, all his life.  And for the first time in Jacob’s life, he is willing to do what it takes to receive God’s genuine blessing…he’s tired of doing things his way which leaves him unfulfilled and dissatisfied. That is why he says, “I will not let you go unless you BLESS ME!”

        Unless we are willing to hold on to God during our most painful struggles, we will lose out on God’s greatest blessings.  That is why Jacob says, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”  God desires to bless us and along the way he gives us reminders of our self-love…the Jabbok river and the wrestling (Jebok) were specifically designed to remind him of his nature and his need.  Today, God continues to gives us the same divine reminders.  They come in the form of our relationships or lack thereof..at work or by coincidental circumstances, if there was such a thing.  If God took the time to create a stage of such fitting reminders for Jacob, don’t you think He is doing the same with us?  Without a doubt; if we would open our eyes and begin seeing the God who sees, hears, speaks, and interacts with us on a daily basis, we might not have to be touched at all.  But those who resist Him and His blessing, will need those touches…they are inevitable. 

        Are you being touched today?  Are you feeling the touch of God on your life through broken relationships, health concerns, loss of a job, conflict with a child or teen, guilt, unfulfilled desires?  If you are, then hold on and don’t let go, no matter how painful the situation might seem.  That is, hold on to God,, asking for His greatest blessing.  When we are willing to accept temporary losses, unfulfilled desires, and the absence of the reconciliation that we so desperately seek, we will receive in heavenly proportions, that which we cannot imagine (Ephesians 3:20).  There truly is nothing too difficult for the Lord…we just need to be willing to postpone our insatiable desires for immediate gratification so we can experience what is eternal.