Genesis 32:22 – 32
Highlighting – “Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” (v.26 – 28)
Jacob started trouble from the moment he was leaving his mother’s womb (lol), by holding onto Esau’s heel (Genesis 25:26), to deceiving his father and stealing Esau’s birthright (Genesis 27:19 – 30), now to wrestling with the Lord (Genesis 32:24). Jacob was a servant of God that we should emulate, not in his former lifestyle of deceit, but in his manner of not letting go of God until He blessed him. (Just a quick side bar though, even when God has blessed you, you still should not let Him go, but stay at His feet. I’m using this text for the sake of being persistent in a specific prayer request.)
We often ask God for something but give up when we don’t see our request come to fruition fast enough. But sometimes like Jacob, we need to be persistent and keep petitioning God until He finally releases the blessing upon us. So even if we can’t physically hold onto God, we can hold onto our faith in Him, that He will remain true to His character, and if we delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart (assuming it’s in line with His will for us). I’m not referring to requests that God has already answered “no” to, but prayer requests that God has YET to answer – when He is silent. At times, God’s “delay” in answering our prayers is a test of whether we will be consistent. Also, the delay tests whether our seeking Him is because we love Him or only desire Him when we need something from Him. Satan’s job is to place doubt in our minds and discourage us from praying and trusting in the Lord…when you sense that feeling coming on, rebuke it! Discouragement, doubt, confusion, is not of God!
What I loved most about this passage, is when God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. There are instances in the Bible, when God’s servants encountered Him, their names were changed after i.e. Abraham and Peter, to name a few. Like Jacob, we receive a new “name” when we encounter Jesus Christ, this encounter being the repenting of our sins and accepting Him into our hearts as Lord and Savior, confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord resulting in our salvation (Romans 10:9 – 10). When I say new name, I mean, we are now regarded as His children and reborn – given the name, Christian – for this reason we are to be Christ-like. As it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” So your name isn’t literally changed, but you are now a new creature and with that should come a change in conduct and speech – a godly individual born again by the Holy Spirit – a person that does not only call themselves a Christian but is in fact, a Christian.
Dear Father, may I carry my new name well. Help me to truly live a Christian life. I desire to trust in You no matter what, through the rain and the sunshine. In my walk with Christ, may I be the same person behind someone’s back and in their face, the same person in church and out in the world – a representative of Jesus Christ. Help me to not give in to the schemes of the devil and know that You are always faithful to fulfill Your promises to Your children. Help me to continue to trust in You now and forevermore. In Jesus name I pray, amen!
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