By: Lars Janssen
I think I stopped arm wrestling after I lost to my oldest nephew. As I recall, it was over a park bench in Paris, Ontario, and the loss was entirely unexpected. I’m not even sure I was in my 30s yet. But the contest had been fair, and the outcome was obvious. I’ve been thinking about how we wrestle over lots of things — sometimes over muscles, sometimes over morals, and sometimes over meaningless minutiae.
The reason I’ve been thinking about arm wrestling is because of a conversation one Sunday morning. I was told a story about two people arguing over which one of them was most blessed. It started with one of them commenting that he was probably the most blessed person in the room. The other countered that he was pretty sure he was the most blessed person in the room. They each laid out their evidence, citing things like the love of Jesus, their delightful spouses, the joy of family, the freedom of being forgiven, the opportunity to serve, the unwavering presence of God … The list kept going, and it was obviously all in fun, but it got me chuckling.
I interrupted, “Sounds a bit like arm wrestling over who is most blessed.”
I was encouraged by this conversation, especially knowing that both “arm wrestlers” had experienced more hard times than what I consider to be average. This is the kind of wrestling we need more of — a bit like Jacob’s wrestling.
“And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day has broken.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ And he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ Then he said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.’ Then Jacob asked him, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.’ The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.” Gen. 32:24–31 (ESV)
All alone in the night, Jacob wrestled with a man. He would not let the man go, even after being injured, because he craved the blessing of God. And the man did bless him. He even changed Jacob’s name to Israel, which means “He strives with God” or “God strives,” according to the footnote in my ESV Bible. Jacob’s blessing was to be called by God’s name.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.” 1 John 3:1 (ESV)
God’s children are so blessed. In the darkness, we are not alone. In the struggle, his strength is ours. In the calm before the storm, God is already going before us. Even when we leave the wrestling match limping, we lean on our Father — Almighty God.
Every Christian always wins the argument about who is most blessed — but it’s still an argument worth having. It’s the kind of arm wrestle where you always win, even if you walk away limping.
