Today's Reading: Genesis 32:22-32
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 18:1-15; Mark 6:14-34
“Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day has broken.’ But Jacob said to him, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’” (Genesis 32:26)
Happy Lent! In the name of Jesus. Amen. Jacob wrestled with God all night. He refused to let go until he was blessed. God answered His prayer and gives Him a new name, “Israel.”
Israel means “He wrestles with God.” Can you get a better word to describe the children of Israel other than, “He wrestles with God?”
They certainly wrestled with God. They struggled with Him—one moment they sang praises to Him, the next moment they had anyone but Him as their god. They were in the faith and out of the faith.
He held on to them through it all. He forgave their iniquity. He pardoned their transgressions. When they were His children, He fed them. When they wanted something different—He gave them what they wanted, but never abandoned them.
You wrestle with God, too, don’t you? Sometimes He seems so close to you that you could touch Him. Sometimes, He seems as if He is asleep at the wheel of the universe and you can’t understand why He does what He does.
You fail. You sin. You fall short. You try to push away. You go about things on your own. You push and shove those around you—pushing your way right past Him if necessary.
He holds on to you. He puts you near His heart. He will save you—even from your trying to push away from Him. He protects you. He doesn’t miss a single danger.
When things are bleakest, when you can’t go another step, when it feels like you barely have the strength to breathe, He will save you. He already has in Christ.
He saved Israel. He redeemed her through all her struggles. He bought her back from her disobedience even at the cost of His Son.
You are Israel. His church. He covers your head and washes your iniquity away in your Baptism. He feeds you and forgives you in His Supper. He enlivens you with His Word to live for others. He is your God. You are His child.
Hold on tightly to Jesus, dear friends. Hold on and never let go. He will forgive you in Christ. He alone can rescue you. He alone can forgive you and save you. Salvation is found in no one else.
Soon, very soon, there will be no more wrestling. On the Last Day, what is true about you now in Christ will be true for you to see in heaven. God has saved you with the life and death of His Son. Happy Lent! In the name of Jesus. Amen.