THE NIGHT YOU FIGHT FOR YOUR BLESSING
Genesis 32:22-32
I want to talk to you today about what it means to be truly blessed. And I’m not talking about the kind of blessing that fits in your wallet or parks in your driveway. I’m talking about the kind of blessing that changes who you are at the core of your being.
You see, in the original Hebrew text, the word “blessed” carries a weight that we’ve lost in our modern understanding. It means “to be equipped with power for success.” It’s about staring down impossible situations and watching them crumble in the face of your faith. So when I tell you I’m blessed, I’m not bragging about my stuff – I’m testifying about my struggles! I’m telling you I’ve been through warfare and walked out winning!
Let me take you to Genesis, where we find Jacob in what I call a “divine throwdown.” This man wrestled all night with an angel, and when he won, his blessing wasn’t a new house or a promotion. God didn’t send him a check in the mail. No! His blessing was a NEW NAME! You might be thinking, “That’s the worst prize ever!” But when you understand his story you understand the significance of this event.
Jacob had been living with a reputation. His name literally meant “trickster,” “con man,” “schemer.” Every time his mama called him in for dinner, every time his daddy sent him to tend the flocks, that name – Jacob – rang out like an indictment over his life. Jacob believed the lie until he became the lie:
- He finessed his daddy out of a blessing that wasn’t his.
- He pulled a fast one on Uncle Laban with those spotted sheep.
- He was trying to smooth-talk his way back into his brother’s good graces.
Church, some of you know what it’s like to live under a name that doesn’t reflect your destiny. Maybe it’s not your given name, but it’s what life has labeled you:
- Failure
- Addict
- Not good enough
- Never gonna make it
- Just like your daddy
- Always gonna struggle
But I came to tell you today that God specializes in identity transformation! Let me set the scene for you. Jacob is heading home after twenty years of running. He’s got his wives, his children, his flocks – everything he’s worked for. But ahead of him is his brother Esau, the one he cheated, coming with four hundred men. Behind him is his father-in-law Laban, who’s none too happy with him either.
And right there, sandwiched between his past and his future, Jacob finds himself alone at the ford of Jabbok. The word Jabbok in Hebrew means “a place of emptying out.” It’s where God brings you when He’s ready to deal with what’s really inside of you. The Jabbok is the third great crossing in your spiritual walk…
- The first is the Red Sea – that’s salvation. Anybody grateful for the Red Sea today? That’s where God delivered you from your Egypt, broke the power of sin over your life.
- The second crossing is the Jordan – that’s dedication to service. That’s where you said, “Lord, I’ll go where You want me to go, I’ll do what You want me to do.”
- But there’s a third crossing that nobody talks about much. It’s the crossing at Jabbok – and this one, child of God, you face alone.
At Jabbok, Jacob encountered something he’d never faced before. The Bible says a Man wrestled with him until daybreak. Now, this wasn’t some ordinary wrestling match. This was divine confrontation! This was heaven invading earth!
And here’s what I love about this story – Jacob held on! When his hip was knocked out of joint, he held on! When the pain was unbearable, he held on! When daybreak was coming, he held on! And he declared, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
Church, some of you are in a wrestling match right now:
- You’re wrestling with an addiction that’s trying to destroy your family
- You’re wrestling with a grief that feels like it’s crushing your very soul
- You’re wrestling with a decision that could change the course of your entire life
- You’re wrestling with a past that keeps trying to define your future
But I hear the Spirit of God saying, “Hold on! Your blessing is in the battle!” Look at your neighbor and tell them, “Don’t tap out in your midnight!” You’ve been fighting all night, but I need you to hold on – dawn is about to break!
At Jabbok, something supernatural happened. God asked Jacob, “What is your name?” Now, this wasn’t a question of information – it was a question of confession. Jacob had to say it: “I’m the one they call the trickster. I’m the one they say can’t be trusted. I’m Jacob.”
And in that moment of brutal honesty, God spoke a new name over his life: “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed!”
Some of you are still answering to a name that God is trying to change! You’re still introducing yourself by your struggle, but God’s trying to give you a new introduction! But listen – you are one honest confession away from your transformation! You’re one surrender away from your breakthrough! You’re one wrestling match away from your blessing!
Jabbok isn’t just a place in the Bible – it’s a divine appointment with destiny. It’s where God deals not just with what you’ve done, but with who you are. It’s where the trickster becomes the triumphant, where the runner becomes the ruler, where the deceiver becomes the prince with God!
I know it’s dark in your Jabbok right now. I know the wrestling has left you tired and wounded. I know you’re limping. But don’t you dare let go! Your blessing isn’t in your comfort – it’s in your commitment to hold on until God changes your name!
You see, sometimes God has to dislocate something in your natural man before He can elevate something in your spiritual man. Jacob walked with a limp the rest of his life, but he walked in a new identity. He walked in a new authority. He walked in a new blessing!
Are you at your Jabbok today? Are you wrestling with God over something that’s trying to define your destiny? Then I want to speak over your life right now – this is your moment of transformation! This is your divine appointment! This is your midnight battle that leads to your morning blessing!
Don’t let go until:
- Your character is changed
- Your identity is transformed
- Your destiny is secured
- Your blessing is released
There’s a blessing waiting for you on the other side of this battle. There’s a new name waiting to be spoken over your life. There’s a new authority waiting to be released in your spirit.
Are you ready to be blessed? Are you ready to wrestle until daybreak? Are you ready to hold on until God changes your name? This is your Jabbok moment. This is your divine appointment. This is your moment of transformation.
Hold on, child of God. Your blessing is coming. Your new name is coming. Your breakthrough is coming.
Just don’t let go.
