Walk in Wisdom

Hard-Won but Hard-Done

Genesis 32:24-25a

And Jacob was all alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint.

During my junior year of college, my dorm held a wrestling competition and I was pitted against a guy named Matt. Although I was in good physical condition as a collegiate athlete, I only lasted about seven minutes before the rush of adrenaline wore off, my muscles gave out, and my lungs run out of breath. So I’m stunned to see such herculean grit from a guy like Jacob who’s spent most of his life running. But desperate times call for desperate measures, right? And Jacob’s never felt more cornered in all his life. So I imagine him charging recklessly through the darkness, grappling with God tooth and nail, trying every move he can to pin down the very arms that hold the world. And I’m still not sure which to reflect on: the fact that he walks away a winner, or the fact that he walks away more wounded than ever.   

Friend, I can’t help but wonder what might’ve happened had Jacob just asked God for a blessing first thing, rather than trying to wrestle it out of Him.