Wrestling with Me

This powerful message explores the profound story of Jacob's wrestling match at the Jabbok River, using it as a mirror for our own spiritual struggles. We're introduced to the concept of the 'monkey trap'—a vivid metaphor for how we often cling to things that keep us captive, refusing to let go even when freedom is within reach. The sermon walks us through Genesis 32, where Jacob, the lifelong schemer and manipulator, finally encounters the one opponent he cannot outsmart: God Himself. What makes this story so compelling is the revelation that Jacob wasn't just wrestling with an angel—he was wrestling with himself, with his own need for control, with his identity as a deceiver. The turning point comes when God touches Jacob's hip, removing his source of physical strength and forcing him to shift from fighting to clinging. This transformation from wrestling to surrender becomes the gateway to blessing. We see how God often has to break what we've been leaning on so we'll finally learn to lean on Him. The message challenges us to examine our own 'monkey traps'—those areas where we refuse to surrender control, where we keep backup plans in our pockets, where we wrestle against God's work in our lives. The beautiful parallel drawn between Jacob's surrender and Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane reminds us that true spiritual power comes not from our strength but from our willingness to say, 'Not my will, but Yours.' This is an invitation to stop wrestling with ourselves and start surrendering to the God who loves us enough to wrestle us to the ground if that's what it takes to set us free.