What If It Breaks You?

Genesis 32:22-32

Here in our scripture lesson today we find Jacob in the fight of his life. He is in a one on one match with God, which really is no match at all. He is obviously desperate for a breakthrough. Traditionally we have been taught that getting a breakthrough is an incredible experience in the life of the believer. In fact, we sing, preach and dream about what it will be like when our breakthrough finally arrives. But what if it breaks you? What if it stretches you? What if it changes the way you think? What if it causes people not to recognize you? Would you still want it?

We tend to lean towards the belief that God like a knight in shinning armor will race by on a white horse lift us out of our troubles and ride us off into the sunset; the end. Sounds great, I know. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always happen this way. Sometimes the breakthrough means God has to break through to us. Often God has to break-through our disobedience, unwillingness, ungodliness, as well our carnal and limited thinking just to bless us.

We get happy when Jacob declares I’m not going to let you go until you bless me; not understanding that Jacob was challenging God. See Jacob was well acquainted with struggle and used to having to fight for everything he ever wanted. Only this time he was talking to God.


I can imagine after those words left his mouth he must have wanted to take them back when he realized he was speaking to God. How's that for putting your foot in your mouth?! He did not realize the struggle wasn't due to God’s unwillingness to bless him; rather it was due to his own inability to handle the blessing at that time. He was neither in condition nor did he possess the capacity to handle the thing God had for him. He did not understand blessing him meant God would have to break him.

Many times like Jacob we find ourselves, as it were in a wrestling match with God; not recognizing we are incapable of handling the blessings of God; we cry foul. We shout to the referee of our soul “unnecessary roughness” when God is only trying to prepare us for His blessings.

Friend, we can not begin to imagine what it sometimes takes for a holy God to bless us. Like Jacob will you declare bless me Lord; even if it breaks me?


In His Strength,

Rev. Melva