From Self-Made to God-Made
And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank. Genesis 32:24-32 (KJV)
Jacob was a self-made man until one day when he encountered God. Jacob had always tried to do things his way, and tried to make his own way. His name means deceiver and he acted accordingly. He stole the birthright and the blessing from his older brother Esau. As a result, he had to flee from Esau, which led him to his Uncle Laban’s place.
While he was there, Laban used and deceived Jacob, so now the deceiver was being deceived. Jacob was reaping what he had sown. Jacob served Laban for 20 years, working seven years for Leah, seven years for Rachel, and six years for livestock. During that time, Laban changed his wages 10 times. God was using this experience to get Jacob to rely on God rather than himself. Finally, Jacob decided to leave and return to his father.
On his way. Jacob camped in a place and God wrestled with him. In the encounter, Jacob was changed and went from self-reliance to reliance on God. God touched his hip, causing a permanent limp. He was a changed man. Even his walk was changed. God blessed him and changed his name from Jacob, meaning deceiver, to Israel, meaning a prince who has power with God. Now he didn’t have to rely on himself as a self-made man. He was now a God-made man, one who relied upon the Lord. Jacob had stolen the blessing from his brother, but now he was blessed by God. He was empowered by and and had power with God. He could walk in God’s strength instead of man’s strength. Jacob, as Israel, was being made into the man God wanted him to be all along.
When we get alone with God, God will touch us and our lives. He will change us, giving us a new name- a new identity- in Him. He will bless us. We will walk with Him, depending on Him. We’ll walk in the power of God, letting Him transform us from self-made individuals to God-made. We’ll become who God has wanted us to be all along. We will know Him better and travel with Him into our fulfilled destiny.
