Cairo: Jesus in Egypt & God's Unusual Leaning
God seldom gives us all we need to understand, but He always gives us what we need in order to obey. The story of Jesus in Egypt as a boy offers a...
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May 6, 2018 10:00:00 PM
What does it take for God to change you? In the Bible, when the Lord changed Jacob, it took a brawl. Isn’t it often the same with us? But that’s actually good news.
(Photo: Jabbok River at Peniel. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
These times we struggle with the Father represent His grace. It’s never easy, and it often seems rigged in God’s favor.
But Jacob shows us how to win the struggle.
After a desperate Jacob sent his family and possessions on across the Jabbok River, he remained alone as he anticipated meeting his brother, Esau, again.
Suddenly, he instead faced the Lord—in the form of a man—and wrestled with Him until a mere touch from the Man wrenched the patriarch’s hip from its socket. “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking,” the Man said.
“I will not let you go,” Jacob replied, “unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26).
The Lord asking him his name elicited nothing less than a confession, for Jacob means “heel–catcher” or “deceiver.” Having confessed, he could then be blessed. “Your name shall no longer be Jacob,” the Man said, “but Israel [meaning “God fights”]; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed” (Genesis 32:28).
Israel called the place where the change had occurred Peniel. The name means “God’s face,” revealing the significance of the event.
The patriarch encountered the Almighty face to face, and it changed him.
The Father may take you places to wrestle with you for a time—years, perhaps—and at any moment finish the struggle with one crushing touch.
These excruciating events in your life represent His grace, for in the pain He means not to destroy you but to compel you to change—that He may bless you.
Tell me what you think: What does it take for the Lord to change you? To leave a comment, just click here.
This post is adapted from Wayne’s book, Going Places with God: A Devotional Journey Through the Lands of the Bible.
• These 90 devotional readings, each based on a specific place in the lands of the Bible, will help you apply the truths of God’s Word to your daily journey of faith.
• You’ll enjoy pertinent Scripture, inspirational quotes, photographs, maps, and a daily prayer.
After going places with God, you’ll never be the same.
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