After 20 years, Jacob had changed from a self-dependent person to a God-dependent person. In the past, he achieved his goal by his method. Now, he recognized his success was because of God saying “I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.” (32:10). And the climax of his faith was displayed when he wrestled with God. God put him in a situation that he couldn’t go back because of Laban and he was afraid to go forward because of Esau. Hannah Whitall Smith described the wrestling was between Jacob and God Himself so that Jacob would totally rest on God. Eventually, God had to take Jacob’s ability to run away. At the moment, Jacob relied on God’s blessing alone.
May we learn to rest in God just like Jacob and will not depend on our own ability.
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