Have you ever been so weary that you said, \u201cI cannot take another step\u201d? Have you awakened in the morning and refused to open your eyes because you still felt exhausted?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pain can do that. It can weaken us to the point that we\u2019re immobile. It can fill our heart with so much darkness that we can\u2019t feel the sun\u2019s warmth. It can twist our faith in God into a tangle of doubt. You\u2019re not the only one who has felt that way. I\u2019ve been there. So have many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bible records many stories about people who reached that point. One of them was Jacob. In Genesis 32, Jacob was on the run again\u2014he had left a bad situation with his father-in-law and was headed back to his birthplace, where his brother Esau lived. Yes, that brother\u2014the one who had wanted to kill him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jacob sent servants and livestock ahead, hoping to diffuse whatever anger Esau still harbored against him. And that night, Scripture says, \u201cJacob was left alone\u201d\u2014with his doubts, with his fears (Genesis 32:24). He may have been questioning God\u2019s goodness, purpose, and plan for his life. He may have felt as if God had left him alone to face his estranged brother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may feel that way about your situation too. Satan may be whispering, \u201cSurely if God loved you, this wouldn\u2019t be happening to you.\u201d Don\u2019t listen to his lie. God\u2019s love is real\u2014unconditional and unending. As the prophet Jeremiah wrote during his own dark season: \u201cThough [God] brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love\u201d (Lamentations 3:32).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God hasn\u2019t abandoned you anymore than he had abandoned Jacob. On that same night, when Jacob was at a breaking point, \u201ca man wrestled with him till daybreak\u201d (Genesis 32:24). Was this man an angel or God Himself? The Bible doesn\u2019t say, but many believe it was God in human form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After many hours, the man \u201ctouched the socket of Jacob\u2019s hip so that his hip was wrenched\u201d (v. 25). Jacob was forever changed in this battle. And although the pain was probably excruciating, Jacob held on to the man and said, \u201cI will not let you go unless you bless me\u201d (v. 26).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response, the man gave him a new name: Israel. Jacob had always been known as a deceiver, but after this experience, Jacob was known as the one who struggled with God. And Jacob\u2019s new name became the name of God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The name change demonstrated God\u2019s promise-keeping goodness at work\u2014the sign that the promise given to Abraham in Genesis 12:1\u2014\u201cI will make you into a great nation\u201d\u2014 would be fulfilled in Jacob\u2019s twelves sons and their descendants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s goodness can also be seen in Jacob\u2019s dislocated hip. The limp that resulted from the injury became a lifelong reminder of his dependency on God and God\u2019s faithfulness. The struggle and the injury brought good\u2014not only to Jacob but also to his descendants down through the centuries and to us who follow Christ now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your current struggle and its wounds can also bring about good. If you can\u2019t see any goodness, then ask God to adjust your perspective. Don\u2019t be surprised if a wrestling match follows. But remain confident that blessings will follow too.<\/p>\n