Wrestling With God

Eight months into the year, and I feel like I'm just getting started with it. I've been wrestling with God this whole year and have gotten to the point where I'm wondering what kind of fool wrestles with God for this long. Oh, yes. Jacob. The point of wrestling with God is not to win, since we can't prevail over Him. The point is to wrestle with God, to stay with Him, to hold on to Him. Just ask Jacob, if you don't believe me. Jacob literally wrestled with Him all night though figuratively, longer. From the time he was in his mother's womb, it was spoken over his life that he would be master over his older brother Esau. Jacob was the twin who received the birthright blessing from his father. Sounds like a good start, right? Things went a little south after his father's blessing. After having to flee his home because of his brother's wrath, working 14 years for his beloved after a deal gone wrong with his uncle, just as he is on the edge of crossing back over into his homeland, he spends the night wrestling with God. (Genesis 32). Near the end of the ultimate wrestling match, his hip bone is wrenched from its socket. Still, he refuses to let go saying, "I will not let go until you bless me." (Gen 32:26) Therein lies the victory. After that statement, he is renamed and called Israel because he had "struggled with God and with humans and overcome." (Genesis 32:28) Refuse to let go when you've reached the end of your everything.