Genesis 32:22-31 (NRSV)
Read Genesis 32:22-31 on biblegateway.com
Verse 22The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. Verse 23He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had.
Verse 24Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. Verse 25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Verse 26Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." Verse 27So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Verse 28Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." Verse 29Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. Verse 30So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." Verse 31The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
Devotion
Jacob is perhaps one of the biggest scoundrels in all of scripture. He has robbed his twin brother of his birth right and his blessing. He has tricked his uncle out of livestock. Now he is left with nowhere to go. Haunted by his past and fearful of the future Jacob wrestles with a strange visitor all night long. He wrestles with who he is, who he has become and who he wants to be. He wrestles for a new identity and a new heart. Finally, after the struggle Jacob recognizes that he has been visited by a messenger of God and he is left changed. Never again will Jacob walk the same.
At times we all crave new beginnings. We all want a fresh start, a second chance. This is ultimately the story of our God who meets us in our brokenness and transforms our futures by giving us a new identity in Christ.
Prayer
God of new beginnings, grant us hope for today and grace to live into our identity in you. May our lives reflect your love for us today and all the days of our lives. We ask in Jesus name. Amen.