Ryan Daffron

“And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.” — Genesis 32:24

SOUNDING

Jacob’s wrestling comes after a lifetime of striving. He has spent years grabbing, maneuvering, deceiving, and negotiating his way forward. He took Esau’s birthright. He stole his blessing. He ran. Now he is heading back toward the brother he wronged, unsure whether reconciliation or revenge awaits him. Fear follows him into the night. Before this moment, Jacob sends everyone and everything ahead of him. Scripture is intentional: Jacob is left alone. No leverage. No protection. No strategy left.

It is there, in isolation and unresolved fear, that the wrestling begins. A mysterious “man” engages Jacob through the night. This is not a quick correction or a gentle reassurance. It is a prolonged struggle. God does not overpower Jacob immediately. He allows the tension to remain. The wrestling reveals what years of striving have built inside Jacob: a man who does not easily release control. This is not rebellion against God. It is exposure before God. God meets Jacob at the point where his old ways can no longer carry him forward.

By morning, Jacob is wounded and blessed. The wound matters. God touches Jacob’s hip and leaves him limping. The blessing matters too. Jacob is renamed. His identity shifts. He no longer walks away relying on strength, cleverness, or manipulation. He walks away marked by encounter and dependence. The limp becomes a reminder that transformation often costs something. God sometimes leaves a mark not to weaken you, but to keep you from returning to who you were before the encounter. Sometimes limping is a good thing.

BEARING

God often transforms us not by removing struggle, but by meeting us inside it until we are changed.

PRAYER

O Lord, meet me in the places where my fear, history, and control collide. Stay with me until You form what needs to change.

DROP IN

Name one place where you feel exposed, afraid, or unresolved. Instead of avoiding it, invite God to meet you there today. Even if it hurts and you get a limp.