Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” Genesis 32:30
Jacob was a man with a godly heritage and a future bright with the promises of God. But he was a man who wanted it his way. He manipulated his way through every problem, until one night when he got alone with God. Just Jacob and God. No one else around.
In the stillness of the long night, Jacob wrestled for all he was worth. He refused to give up the struggle, until finally, exhausted, he realized he would never be able to control God.
With his will broken, his hip out of joint, and his name changed, Jacob emerged from that divine encounter a new man.
So it is when we finally get alone with God. In those precious (and sometimes painful) encounters, our lives undergo a radical adjustment in which our will and God’s will align. When we emerge, we can say with the Son of God, “I delight to do your will, O my God” (Ps. 40:8).
Make it Personal
Is there some circumstance you’re trying to manipulate or control? Take time to get alone with God and surrender to His will.