Jacob
Wrestling with God: Finding Ourselves in Jacob’s Story
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been digging into the book of Genesis — The Origin Story — the place where it all began. And what we’ve discovered isn’t just ancient history. Genesis tells us something about where we come from, but also why we are the way we are. We’ve seen ourselves in the story — in the faith of Noah and Abraham, and perhaps also in the mess of Cain and Babel.
As we come to the climax of this Origin Story, we meet one of the most complicated characters in all of Scripture — Jacob. The one who would one day be called Israel, the archetype of the person who wrestles with God.
A Complicated Character
If you think your family has drama, just wait until you meet Jacob’s.
He came out of the womb grabbing his brother’s heel, tricked his blind father, ran for his life, got tricked by his uncle, and somehow ended up with two wives, two concubines, and more kids than a reality show.
And yet, through all the scheming, wrestling, and chaos — God never gave up on him. Which is good news for us.
The story of Jacob isn’t simple. It’s not clean or heroic. It’s one of the most human stories in Scripture. Jacob is not noble like Joseph or faithful like Abraham. He’s a struggler, a schemer — yet he is also Israel. His name becomes the name of God’s people.
Our Story Too
Jacob’s story is our story. In him, we see our longing to be blessed, our tendency to control, our wrestling with God and others — and ultimately, the relentless grace that refuses to let us go.
The Bible doesn’t tell these stories to give us moral blueprints but theological portraits. They’re mirrors — showing us who we are and who God is. Jacob’s name change to Israel, meaning “one who wrestles with God,” becomes a metaphor for all of us. We are a people who wrestle — with doubt, with fear, with God Himself — and yet are still chosen, still blessed, still loved.
The God Who Won’t Let Go
Jacob’s whole life is marked by striving — even before birth, he wrestles with his brother Esau. He schemes for the birthright, deceives his father, and runs for his life. And yet, through his deception and striving, God’s covenant purposes still move forward.
In one of the most powerful scenes in Scripture, Jacob wrestles through the night with a mysterious figure by the river Jabbok. Wounded but unrelenting, he clings to his opponent and says, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
And there, in the struggle, he receives a new name:
“Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” (Genesis 32:28)
Jacob limps away from that encounter a changed man. His limp becomes the mark of grace — the sign that he has wrestled with God and lived.
Walking with a Limp
We all walk with limps of one kind or another — marks of our wrestling, reminders of God’s transforming grace. Faith isn’t the absence of struggle; it’s the refusal to let go of God in the struggle.
So for those who wrestle — with doubt, with fear, with unanswered prayers — may you be encouraged. God meets you in the night and invites you to cling to Him until the dawn breaks. You may walk away limping, but you will also walk away blessed.
Because in the end, Jacob’s story isn’t about a man who found God.
It’s about a God who refused to let go of a man — and who refuses to let go of you.