In our reading from Genesis today, Jacob is left alone in the night. He is confronted by a mysterious man, and they wrestle until daybreak.
How often do we, too, find ourselves wrestling with God – interiorly, in prayer, in our questions, in the silence of uncertainty? How often do we struggle with God’s will, especially when faced with fear, change, or big decisions?
I find Jacob’s persistence in this story inspiring. He does not flee from the struggle. He stays in it – fully, honestly – and refuses to let go until he is blessed. This feels like a powerful reminder that some blessings only come through perseverance.
Jacob emerges from that long night changed. How often do our own encounters with God – even the painful or confusing ones – humble us, shape us, inspire us?
Perhaps we need not fear meeting God in the dark. Perhaps some nights of wrestling are invitations. Sometimes, perhaps God meets us in the struggle to bless us through it.
Today, let us be more mindful of the ways God draws near us in our solitude, in our wrestling. Are we willing to stay with Him long enough to receive what He offers? May we have the courage to ask for His blessing – and the humility to welcome the change it brings.
