By Crosswalk101 on Sunday, October 19, 2025
Genesis 32:24-31 “This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. “From now on, you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.” Then he (the man) blessed Jacob there. ”
This story tells us that Jacob moved his family, servants, sons and all their possessions across the Jabbok River to a new place. Jacob was all alone in the camp. A man came along and wrestled with him all night until the break of dawn. The man touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. And then the man blessed Jacob with a new name – Israel.
Have you ever wrestled with God? Perhaps not, but maybe you have argued with God. Maybe you felt that God was asking you to do something that you felt was too difficult for you to do. Perhaps you continued to argue or plead for God to give you something easier to do. Jacob continued his wrestling match with God all night long just to get a blessing. I think God encourages persistence in all areas of our lives, including the spiritual side. Where in your spiritual life do you need more persistence? We can grow our spiritual character when we struggle, sometimes throughout the whole night just to find answers to our problems. As we persist in our struggle, we can grow in our spiritual life and be blessed by God. Isn’t that amazing!!
Prayer: Dear God, like Jacob, help us to persist in working through our struggles as we try to be more mature in our faith. Thank you for blessing us as we continue to persist in working through our struggles so that we can do the work You have asked us to do in Your name. Amen.
CrossWalk 