Devotionals

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Genesis 32:24-29; 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." 27 The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered. 28 Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, [e] because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome." 29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. -NIV

Someone asked me Why is there "Sumo Stuff" on a Christian Web site it could be because I like Veggietales, but here is another reason:

He had a rough week, His father-in-law had just left after accusing him of stealing from him. It had been tense but eventually things were worked out and now he was on his way to see his brother. He knew tomorrow would be the hardest day of his life and that was saying a lot. He hadn’t seen his brother in almost twenty years and he just knew that his brother was still mad because he had stolen the entire inheritance his father had left them and fled with it in fear for his life. It was time to pay the piper, face the music so to speak. “Maybe”, he thought, “just maybe I can buy him off with lots of gifts, maybe he will not kill me or at the very least maybe he will spare some of my children.” So he went off to be by himself and prepare for the next day. How would you have handled a situation like that. He knew he had wronged his brother, he knew his brother had reason to be angry. He was truly sorry for what he had done but he didn’t know how his brother would respond. How would you respond? How would you prepare to talk to your brother? He chose to be by himself. Many of us do this we run off and hope or mope by ourselves. This time however something amazing happened. A man appeared and started to wrestle with Jacob. This man and Jacob wrestled all night and because Jacob would not let go until the man gave him his answer Jacob was blessed. The man never gave his name but I believe his name was Jesus. The pre-incarnate Jesus came down and wrestled with Jacob. Why? Not to harm or punish him but so that he would cry out and hold onto him in his time of distress.

We all wrestle with many problems. What would happen if instead we let Jesus do the wrestling. Jesus has already wrestled Death and defeated it what other problems would he fight and win for us if we would just let it go and tag him in.

By Gethsemene Rose
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