Struggle and Overcome

We hate change. We despise, fear, and avoid it at all costs. But change is not only inevitable, it is a mandatory part of our relationship with Christ. We must change in order to follow him. We must be continually changing to follow him. It is not a one-time event. Real change lasts.

In Genesis 32, Jacob has quite a life-changing encounter with…someone. God himself…angel…we don’t really know for sure. What we do know is that Jacob was changed forever. Jacob wrestles with this man through the night, loses, and then says he will not let go unless this man blesses him. Then we get this in 32:28: 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.” In 29, the man blesses Jacob.

The first condition for change that we see in Jacob is that he wanted it. He begged the man for a blessing and was willing to fight for it. He wanted to be changed, he wanted to be blessed. Next, the man tells him that his name will be changed, which was an extremely significant event in biblical times. It signified not only a change in name, but a change in character and personality. The man tells him he will be changed because he has struggled with God and with humans and he has overcome. Jacob struggled with God. He struggled with his faith. He wrestled with God. He also struggled with humans. He struggled in his relationships. Then comes the key part: he overcame. He overcame his struggles.

In order to be changed and blessed, you have to want it. You have to fight for it. You have to search for it. You will struggle with God and you will struggle with men. It will not be easy and will not be without pain, lets not forget that Jacob got his hip snapped. Then, in the end, you must overcome. You must overcome your struggles with God and with men. Only then can you be changed, and only then will you be blessed. True change doesn’t come easy, but it lasts forever and is worth fighting for.