Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.
– Genesis 32:24-31
Devotion
After all the years away from home, after all of his deceiving and scheming, after all his desperate maneuvering, Jacob found himself alone and wrestling with God. Image that-a wrestling match with God! Jacob held on with desperate determination. When daybreak came and the wrestling ended, God gave Jacob two gifts-a new name, and a limp to remind him of his encounter with God Himself. God changed Jacob’s name from “heel grabber, deceiver” to Israel, which means “a prince who struggles with God” or “God struggles.”
The Big Question
Jacob’s personal encounter with God changed his character, his life, and his future. Have you wrestled with God about your character, your life, and your future? How has God changed you through your struggles?
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.