Wrestling With God

Genesis 32 describes an unusual occurrence. While preparing for a confrontational meeting with his brother Esau, Jacob gets into a wrestling match with a “man” who is later described as an angel (Genesis 32 and Hosea 12). The two battled throughout the night until the angel dislocated Jacob’s thigh socket – but even that didn’t end the scrap. It wasn’t until being promised that he would be blessed that Jacob gave up the fight. As a result of his fortitude Jacob was told, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” (Genesis 32:28)

This wrestling match set in motion the future of the Children of Israel, but I wonder if there isn’t a modern application – not to the Jews, but to us. Have we ever felt like we were wrestling with God? Have we ever though that things were not as easy as they could be? It wasn’t that we hadn’t been blessed (or punished) by God, it just felt like we were having to exert an extortionate amount of effort to get what we wanted. Could it be that we were “striving” with God?

This type of spiritual interaction might not be easy, but it can be beneficial:

1. It keeps us humble. If God were to give us everything we wanted it would not be good for us physically, emotionally or spiritually. I am afraid that if God cow-towed to our every desire we would be tempted to become arrogant, seeing Him as our own personal goody machine. The truth is that God doesn’t serve us, we serve Him and our struggles remind us of this eternal balance.

2. It shows that He cares. The other side to the previous point is that God cares about what we want. While He is the Supreme Being He is willing to listen to us and be swayed by us. God could tell us, “Here is what you are going to get – learn to like it”, but as a father is interested in a child’s input, God cares about us. When we struggle with God, it should remind us that God is All-Powerful, not a heartless tyrant.

3. It develops our faith. Striving with God will make us better by helping us grow in faith and prayer. Constantly talking to Him and learning from Him produces a maturity that serves us for years to come. Practicing a sport against an inferior partner might be easier, but going up against a powerful training partner makes us better in the long run. God is the greatest training partner we have because He knows what we need and how to get the best out of us.

Do we ever feel like we are wrestling with God? Sure, life might seem easier if God didn’t test us, but it wouldn’t be better. We are in error when we oppose God’s authority, but we grow when we accept His challenges.

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