The Blessedness Of Weakness

In Genesis 32, Jacob trembles at the news that his brother is coming to meet him with four hundred men. His offense flashes back in his mind. He divides his family into two groups thinking if one is slaughtered the other can escape.

Jacob gets alone to openly express his fears and anxiety to God; but before he could do that, He feels the touch of a man and begins to wrestle all night. As Jacob seems to have the upper hand, the strange Being whom he thinks may be his brother touches his hip, and it is dislocated. Later Hosea identifies this Being Jacob fought was “God” (Hosea 12:3),

The Being says to Jacob,

“Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

Immediately, by the voice and touch of the one who put his hip out of joint, Jacob knows it is not his brother, but a supernatural Being who is the answer to his prayer. Earlier in the chapter, in verse ten, Jacob had prayed for deliverance and confessed that he was not worthy of the least of God’s mercies. The truth is, Jacob needed deliverance from himself. From birth he was born holding his brother’s heel hence the name Jacob, meaning “heel-catcher” or deceiver. It was stealing his brother’s birthright that caused him to flee for twenty years.

The area I would like us to focus on is verse 25, which says,

“And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.”

The Angel weakened Jacob when He saw Jacob prevailing. It was good the Angel weakened Jacob, because it was then that Jacob was forced to see He needed deliverance from himself.

Have you been weakened?

Have you been weakened by the loss of a job, loved one, or even failed relationship? Have you been weakened, by the change of plans?

Have you been weakened, so deeply that in prayer you could only utter the words, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

Even after Jacob’s cry was granted, the scripture says he halted or limbed on his thigh. Though Jacob saw His great need, God saw it was unsafe to restore his hip lest he leaped back to his old ways.

Thank God for challenges He allows and does not completely remove. It is His wise plan to keep you and I at the foot of the cross.