“Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”” Genesis 32:24-30
When Jacob was returning home, he wrestled with God one night. When morning was approaching, the man he was wrestling with touched his hip and dislocated it so that He could get away from Jacob before the sun rose. But Jacob held on to the man, and would not let Him go until He blessed him, which He did. Then the man left, and Jacob walked with a limp the rest of his life, but God blessed him.
One time when I was coming down from the top of the mountain in Seoul, South Korea after work, I passed a man walking up the mountain who had a very bad limp. He was pushing through the difficulty and had a determined look on his face – he was going to make it to the top of the mountain – I could tell. I felt compassion for him, and the Holy Spirit whispered to me “That is you”. He was telling me that I walked with a limp. God touched me when I was in college and dislocated my “spiritual” hip so to speak, and I have walked with a limp ever since, spiritually speaking. The revelation brought tears to my eyes.
The other day was the first time I connected this moment in my life to the story of Jacob wrestling with God. It is the first time I connected my “spiritual” limp to the blessings of God in my life. And it is the first time that I realized that I have been holding on to Jesus ever since He put my “spiritual” hip out of joint, to get His blessings in my life.
Just as Jacob got up, crossed the river, and went to meet Esau, we too must get up and get on with our life. Like the Korean man climbing Seoul Mountain, we must push on through life to the high calling of God that is on our lives. The difference for us is that we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit to accompany us through life. If we will hang on to Jesus till the sun rises, He will bless us beyond anything we can imagine.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phillipians 4:4-7
God has truly blessed me in this life. I do not deserve any of it. I have held on to Jesus since I was born again, and I will keep holding on to him until my days on earth come to an end (the sun rises, so to speak) and I meet Him face to face. My “spiritual” hip being put out of joint played a major role in my salvation story. It led to me being born again. How has God touched your “spiritual” hip? Do you walk with a “spiritual” limp in some way? If yes, how would you describe it? What event in your life did God use to dislocate your hip? Have you hung on to Jesus since you were born again, or have you let go and gone your own way? What would it take for you to reconnect with Jesus today? Hang on to Jesus and ask for the blessing. Hang on and never let go.
Jesus, thank you for meeting me in the darkness of my life and wrestling with me. Thank you for showing up before I came face to face with my Esau. Thank you for touching my hip and putting it out of joint. And thank you for the many blessings you have given me over the course of my life. I pray that you would enable me to continue to hold on to You all of my days, and that I would not let go until the sun comes up and I see You face to face. Thank You Lord, for all that you have done in my life, including my limp. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
Two Rivers Blog 
One thought on “Touched by God”