I’ve never been a fan of professional wrestling. I am talking about the Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin type wrestling. If you like this stuff, that’s fine. I am not opposed to it, just not a fan of it. It is entertainment and that’s alright. I also know that for real fans it is not wrestling it is rassalin.

Did you know that there was a wrestling match recorded in the Bible. I will even give the the contestants these modern sounding names. The card was between The Great Grabber and the Omnipotent Limp Giver. The story is told in Genesis Chapter 32. It is the story of Jacob coming to grips with God and in this match he could not “ tap out”.

Jacob was a man who would grab whatever he wanted. From his brother he grabbed the birthright and their father’s blessing. From his father-in-law he grabbed, two wives, two concubines, thirteen children and many animals. Now he is between a brother who promised to kill him and a father-in-law who told him not to come back. This is when he finds himself in a ditch wrestling with God .

If you read the complete story of Jacob, you will find that prior to this night he always referred to God as the God of Abraham and Isaac. But Jacob never acknowledged Him as his own. But with his family in danger and no deals to be made, he comes face to face with God. They wrestled all night. When the morning comes, he limps out of that gully with a new name and a new life. From this day forward he speaks of God as, “my Lord and my God”.

When asked about their relationship with Jesus a lot of people will talk about baptism or their church membership. Some people even say that they are a Christian because their parents were. But this has nothing to do with salvation. The real question is, have you come face to face with God.

If Jesus is not your Savior, I challenge you to kneel before God and beg Him to save you.

Wrestle with God in prayer, don’t stop until He blesses you. Like Jacob you will receive a new name, new life and yes, maybe a limp. But I would rather limp into Heaven than to dance into hell.

Douglas Huff