Give it all to God!

Genesis 32:24-28 - And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.  When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.  Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me."  And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."  Then he said, "Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." 

We all come to a point in our lives when we realize that we have no control.  We have allowed the sins and mistakes of our past to follow us ….to haunt our soul….to hold us back from what God needs us to be. Jacob had reached such a point in his life….and in his great need to put his mistreatment of Esau behind him…he wrestled with God. He wrestled with the control we all think we need over our lives…trying to hold on to God as a security blanket…but never really letting him have all of our heart.

At some point during the night….Jacob realized that he was his own worse problem….and he knew he could not make it alone…so he begged God for his blessing. I find it ironic that Gog ask him his name before he blessed him.  God wasn’t confused…he just wanted to know if Jacob had figured out who he was….maybe he had internalized the lie he told to his father Isaac that day he stole the blessing of his brother…maybe he had no confidence that he should have it …because he knew deep down it belonged to his brother.

That is the way Satan tricks all of us. He finds a mistake we made…a sin that has never been resolved and turned over to God….and he pokes at it…and makes us feel unworthy to even ask God to wash it away.  And so we begin to believe the lie we told….and the sin festers…and becomes so big that only God can fix it. We beat ourselves up …over and over again….and allow the sin to stay…and keep us from being all that God wants us to be.

Jacob did a great thing that morning…he let go of his sin and gave it to God. He finally gave up the control of his sin…and he gave it to God. He let God wash it completely away..and replace it with a heart of repentance and peace…..with a heart that wanted to pay back the wrong he had done to his brother. The fear of facing his brother was still there….he had to face the consequences of his wrongdoing…but he faced them with God at his side.  Jacob left that place with a new name…Jacob became Israel that day…and began to be what God had intended all along.

Father…I thank you for this story of Jacob…and the reminder to let go of all my sin and let you control my life. Help me remember to never hold on to my sins again…to always admit as quickly as you point them out…that I need you to forgive me and wash me clean once more. Give me a new name of faith…that shows that I have turned my life over to you…every part of my heart…every sin…and every good thing.  Show me how to walk right up to my fears and failures and tell them that it is okay….I know that you will be there to help me endure any consequence that comes from my actions.  Help me to always remember that every good thing I have belongs to you…and should be used to glorify you. Amen.