Today's thought - 14 June 2026 (Jacob)

 

It is Sunday and I hope you went to church or you are getting ready to go. I want to quickly look at Jacob as we continue to talk about encounters. We know Jacob had an encounter with God and he only realized this at the end of his wrestle with the Lord. The Bible says in Genesis 32 - So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 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. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

Ok I want you to see three things and I will elaborate on them.

1). So, Jacob was left alone.

2). When the divine opponent realizes He cannot easily overpower Jacob, He touches Jacob’s hip socket, instantly dislocating it. In his physical vulnerability, Jacob shifts his strategy - he stops fighting to win and instead desperately clings to his opponent, demanding a blessing.

3). Jacob’s name changed and he received a blessing. Thus, naming the place Peniel (meaning "face of God") because he survived an encounter with God face-to-face.

Now, consider this. He was alone, now there is a difference between being alone and being lonely. The latter most times gets you into trouble. So, you could say he was in his prayer closet or his place of prayer or meditation. Now his encounter with the Lord (his wrestle match) left him with a limp. A thorn in his side, a reminder of his dependence on God. Then he was blessed in this encounter and the first cause of this is reconciling with his brother Esau and reestablishing their relationship. Now hear me out I am trying to make you see something. When Moses had his encounter with God on the mountain with the burning bush he asked God, who can I say send me. In Exodus 3 - God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you”. God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, The LORD, the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation”.

He says the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, not the God of Israel. He says the God of Jacob and this means no matter what you have done or what you carry or guilt for the mistakes you have made, God sees you for you will become and not who you were. He sees the man/woman He saw when He created you and not the one who made mistakes. This is profound and I love it. My dear friend, an encounter with God will transform you and you will never be the same (walking with a limb) and the fire that it ignites will touch the world around you, because the fire of God cannot be contained, kept for yourself nor remain hidden. It is the fire of God, and it will leave your world upside down. So, seek the Kingdom of God above all else. Above all things and you will encounter God in a way that will transform you forever.

Have an awesome day, my friend.