S – Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob’s hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip. 26 Then he said to Jacob, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”  “What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied. 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

Genesis 32:24–28 CSB

O – In wrestling with God physically, Jacob was given new insights spiritually.

1.  If a man can wrestle with God and not lose, he can wrestle another man with God and not lose.  For all the “battles” we face as humans, with God on our side we can win. 

2. When Jacob had to say his own name, he revealed who he really was – deceiver, heel catcher, thief.  God changed his name, which gave him a new path for his character.  That happens to us today when we enter into a relationship with Christ.

3.  Jacob left with a physical limp.  Interaction with God will mark us so that others can see it.

A – I can invite God into each day so that I can win.  Continue to change my character to reveal God’s.  I want to walk in my scars to show others God’s love for them.

R – Lord, help me to do this.