“Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. 30So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” 31Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. 32Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.” (Genesis 32:24-32)
Jacob left his father-in-laws home to return to his home in the land of Canaan as God had told him to do. As he came close to his homeland, Jacob was worried and afraid that Esau was still angry and wanted to kill him. Jacob separated his wives and children from the herdsmen and the flocks of sheep and goats in an effort to protect his family from Esau. As they were camping for the night Jacob put his wives and children on one side of the Jabbok River and he slept on the other side. He was told he had wrestled during the night with God. He was now to change his name from Jacob to Israel.
We wrestle with God sometimes. Not in the same way Jacob did but in a very real way. Sometimes God wishes us to do one thing but we wish to do another. Knowing He is God we fear disobeying Him and to do our own will rather than His. In this fashion we “wrestle” with God and His will. Submitting to God is difficult especially when we don’t fully understand why we must do it a certain way. But submitting to the will of God is fundamental in having a relationship with Him. We must remember “He’s God and we’re not”
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