Three Keys to Blessing

In our series “We Who Wrestle,” inspired by themes of struggle in the book of Genesis (and with a nod to Jordan Peterson’s work), we’ve seen conflict define every major story. From Jacob and Esau wrestling in the womb, to Jacob tricking his brother out of his birthright and blessing, to his decades-long strife with Laban that nearly ended in war but resolved in a fragile peace treaty. Now, we arrive at Jacob’s pivotal moment: a face-to-face encounter with God Himself that changes everything.

This isn’t just ancient history—it’s a blueprint for how God meets us in our own wrestlings. Let’s dive into Genesis 32 and uncover three keys to receiving God’s blessing.

Jacob is on his way home, and angels meet him. He names the place Mahanaim, meaning “two camps”—his and God’s. He sends messengers to Esau in Seir, humbly offering gifts of livestock to seek favor. But the messengers return with alarming news: Esau is coming with 400 men.

Jacob, terrified, divides his camp into two for a chance at survival. Then, he prays—a rare moment for him, showing growth. “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac,” he pleads, reminding God of His promises and confessing his unworthiness. He begs for deliverance from Esau.

That night, Jacob sends waves of gifts ahead: 200 goats, 200 sheep, camels, cows, and donkeys. He crosses his family over the Jabbok ford, leaving himself alone.

In the darkness, a mysterious man wrestles Jacob until dawn. Neither prevails until the man touches Jacob’s hip, dislocating it. Yet Jacob clings, demanding a blessing. The man asks his name: “Jacob.” Then renames him Israel, for striving with God and men and prevailing. Jacob calls the place Peniel: “I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” He limps away, forever changed.

This wrestler? The preincarnate Christ—God in human form.

God blessed Abraham with a promise (Genesis 12) and reaffirmed it to Isaac (Genesis 26). But Jacob needed breaking before blessing. Here’s how we can apply this:

1. Solitude

Jacob’s deepest God-encounters happen alone. Fleeing to Haran, he saw the ladder to heaven with angels ascending and descending. Now, alone by the Jabbok, he wrestles God.

We hope you meet God in community, like church gatherings. But the real transformation often comes in solitude. A woman recently shared how she visited our church for a baptism and stayed. On New Year’s Eve, she found herself alone, reading her Bible—something she’d never done before. “Something had changed.”

Henry Nouwen said, “Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live the Christian life.” Yet many fear it, filling life with distractions to avoid being alone with God. But that’s where blessing awaits. You are what you are in solitude—true faith starts in private.

2. Struggle

We meet God’s greatest blessing at our point of greatest weakness. God wrestles us into transformation, not just comfort.

In culture, faith is often sold as inner peace. But Scripture shows God intervening in distress:

• Moses: Not in Egypt’s palaces, but trembling in Midian, at the burning bush.
• Gideon: Hiding in fear, threshing wheat in a winepress, when the Angel of the Lord appeared.
• Hannah: In barrenness’s humiliation.
• Elijah: Fleeing Jezebel, depressed and suicidal.
• Job: On ashes, having lost everything.
• Peter: In guilt after denying Christ, when Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”

God knows your struggles—He sent Jesus to die for them. Let Him meet you there.

3. Submission

When Jacob demands a blessing, he’s exactly where God wants him: recognizing God as the source.

“Blessed” was a Greek word reserved for gods, yet Jesus began His Sermon on the Mount with it: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

How do we know Jacob submitted? God changed his name—from “Jacob” (grasper, deceiver) to “Israel” (God strives). Name changes signal authority: Parents name children; I renamed the Gulf of Mexico in a joke because... well, authority. When Julie married me, her name became Terry.

Jacob spent life grasping blessings by force. At Peniel, his striving met its match—not celebrating his strength, but memorializing weakness transformed by God.

Crucially, God condescends to Jacob’s level. The wrestler “could not prevail” without breaking him, hinting at voluntary weakness. This all-powerful Being wrestles a mortal, pointing to Jesus: emptying Himself (Philippians 2:6-8), becoming servant, dying for us. Taking our curse for blessing (Galatians 3:13-14).

Art historian Kenneth Clark, a skeptic, felt heavenly joy in a church but recoiled, feeling unworthy. Like Jacob surviving God’s presence, Clark wondered: How can holy God bless the unholy?

The answer: Christ’s weakness—becoming servant, dying for us. Now, with power to condemn, He wrestles us lovingly until submission, transforming us anew.
Through the Cross, He who could conquer forgave and blessed. What is this wrestler’s name? Why ask... I think you know.

In communion, we remember: The transcendent God stepped into time, born in Bethlehem, bearing our sins, rising victorious.

If this resonates, find solitude, embrace struggle, submit. Share your thoughts below—how has God met you in wrestling?

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