I have been thinking about Jacob wrestling with God. I have been struck by two things:

1. Jacob is alone (24). He leaves behind family, position, and possession. He is alone with God, alone before God.
2. Jacob is changed by the wrestle. The stranger touches him and changes him – physically (with his “thigh”) and spiritually (by giving him a new name). Jacob does not stand far off and reflect – he engages and physically struggles with God – sweat and pain! “The Strange” is not an object but a person.

I think the story is a great example of what it means to be a Christian in a modern context. SO …

I need to be alone before God, wrestle with God, and that will change me.