Power Up!
Today’s Verse:
He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us; ~Hosea 12:3-4
Have you ever experienced a power failure, where the electricity went out and you waited hours before the power was available again? Have you ever been in the middle of nowhere, where there was no power supply for any gadgets or machinery? If you have, you know how helpless you felt. Our devotion this morning is about power: power with God. Let us see this morning from the life of Jacob how we can power up with God.
We see Jacob the supplanter.
“He took his brother by the heel in the womb.” Jacob’s name means “supplanter.” His very nature was that of a trickster, manipulator, beguiler, and conniver. He entered into the world as a heel-grabber. He lived his life taking advantage of other people. He selfishly took matters into his own hands, trying to succeed. He pictures how we try to succeed in life without the Lord. We only engage the Lord in our life when we have an emergency. We go through life using survival techniques to get ahead. There is a Jacob inside of all of us that always wants to do things our way.
We see Jacob’s salvation.
“He found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us.” Jacob stole his brother’s birthright and blessing from their father. Esau hated Jacob and vowed to kill him. Jacob had to leave home. He came to a place where he took some rocks for his pillow. As he slept, he saw a ladder that reached from earth to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon it. The Lord stood above the ladder. Jacob awoke and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place.” It was there that Jacob awoke to the fact that Lord came to him. He called that place Bethel, or the house of God. It was there that Jacob was saved.
We see Jacob is sidelined.
Jacob was saved, but he continued to live and conduct himself in his same manipulative ways. Jacob’s manipulating brought him to a place called Peniel, where he found himself alone. There the Lord met with Jacob and wrestled with him through the night. It was the Lord wrestling with Jacob, and not Jacob wrestling with the Lord. The Lord wanted control over Jacob, but Jacob resisted Him and would not let Him. As the early signs of morning started to appear in the sky, the Lord touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh. Jacob was startled, realizing in pain that he had been sidelined with a dislocated hip! It was no longer Jacob resisting, but Jacob holding on for help. Jacob told the Lord, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.” Jacob had to go from resisting to clinging.
We see Jacob and his secret.
“Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him.” Jacob learned the secret to power with God! He got God’s blessing for power. He learned the secret to effectual, fervent prayer with God. At Peniel, he met God face-to-face. At Peniel, he was broken in his hip and in his heart. In his brokenness, Jacob had power over the angel and prevailed. He wept over his failures and sin, and made supplication with God. Jacob was changed at Peniel. Power with God is essential if we pray for the impossible. Power with God is essential if we want to serve and see fruitful results. For the rest of his life, he walked with a limp as a reminder of how he learned the secret to power with God. Do you have power with God? Have you learned that wrestling with God in prayer is all about clinging to God because you need and want Him more than anything else in life? Find your Peniel and power up!
Have a power-infused God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Isaiah 54-58
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