Of all the strange events in Jacob's life, this is by far the strangest. Left alone on the far bank of the Jabbok River, he ended up wrestling with a stranger in the dark of the night. During the course of the fight, Jacob began to realize he was grappling with no ordinary man. Though painfully injured, he refused to release his hold on the man until he "blessed" him. The request for a blessing in itself is surprising because Jacob was already a wealthy man with a large family. What more could he desire beyond what he already had? Yet, in the blessing God gave him, we discover the deep longing of Jacob's heart: he was tired of being Jacob. He was a self-reliant, competitive man, and he had stubbornly prevailed with everyone he dealt with, starting with his twin brother in the womb (Ge 25:21-24). Yet, something of blessing was missing inside his unsubmitted heart. He needed to walk with God at a new level, but he wasn't able to do so. This is what God saw and said He would grant him because he had not quit in his pursuit of God.

Many of us are strong-willed and find it hard to become dependant on God. From God's dealings with Jacob we will learn how to receive the gift of a changed nature.

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