🙏 Jacob was chosen by God to carry the promise of the Messiah.

Though he was the younger brother, God declared he would be greater than Esau (the older will serve the younger), who carelessly traded his birthright for a bowl of stew 🥘.

Life wasn’t easy for Jacob though. ⚔️

🏃‍♂️ He had to flee from his angry brother, ended up getting tricked into marrying two wives instead of one, and faced all sorts of family drama.

✝️ Finally, Jacob had to face his past and reconcile with Esau.

🌙 The night before their meeting, at the ford of the Jabbok river, something extraordinary happened.

💪 A man appeared and wrestled with Jacob until dawn.

🥊 This wasn’t just any wrestling match – it was intense, and Jacob gave it everything he had.

🔥 Then the mysterious wrestler (who was actually the pre-incarnate Christ) touched Jacob’s hip and dislocated it.

✊ Despite the excruciating pain, Jacob wouldn’t let go until he received a blessing.

👑 That’s when God gave him a new name: Israel, meaning “Let Yahweh rule.”

📖 What we learn from this: Just like Jacob, we will have struggles and pain.

❤️But God uses these very struggles to bless you.

✝️ After all, He brought salvation through Jesus’ suffering on the cross.

💧 Whatever you’re going through, remember that God made you His child through baptism.

🌈 Hold onto His promises — He’s already holding onto you. You’re His beloved, and He won’t ever leave or forsake you.

Contributor Tim Droegemueller is Senior Pastor at Living Faith Lutheran Church in Cumming, Georgia.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #oldtestament

If you have questions or topics that you’d like discussed on Higher Things, email them to content@higherthings.org

Subscribe to our channel to get notifications when we go live: http://youtube.com/@HTgospel4all

To support the work of Higher Things®, visit https://higherthings.org/morehi/giving/

For more information about Higher Things, go to https://higherthings.org
——
Join the conversation on Social Media:

http://facebook.com/higherthings
http://instagram.com/higherthings
https://www.tiktok.com/@higherthings