Genesis 32:24-26

            “Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” I have heard this taught that if you want a blessing from God you need to wrestle with Him until you get it. There are many things wrong with this type of theology but the biggest one is that we don’t control God. This passage is key to growing closer to God. After the Man (Jesus in the Old Testament) wrestled with Jacob He put Jacob’s hip out of joint. If you have ever had a hip, knee or any other part of your body put out of joint, you know it hurts. It’s called affliction, and it should bring us closer to God, not turn us away from Him as many do. David said “Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word, and It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes (Psalm 119:67&71). I want to point out that victory in our spiritual lives is doing what Jacob said, “I will not let You go” and he never did. Jacob was unwilling to let go of God in the midst of his affliction but clung to Him. The blessing Jacob got was God changing his name to Israel, the name changing signifies a new you. Saul got the name, Paul. Simon got the name, Peter. All three were afflicted, all three clung to God all three got a new name and like Jacob, they all got a renewed relationship with God. Revelation 2:17 tells us “To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”’ The question is, when we are afflicted, will we cling to God or let go?