Wrestling with God

It seems that the story of Jacob wrestling (Genesis) has come up a lot lately. I've read it on my own, we read it and discussed it at the School of Christian Mission, and then, today, it was the topic of the sermon during worship.

I've written before on this blog about the identity of the person/angel/God who Jacob wrestles. Is it God? Is it Jacob? Is it an angel? Is it Esau?

I like Joe's take on it today. He said it could have been any of the above, but he thought it was God. The story, he told us, is a testament to how close God will come to us -- how personal our relationship is with him. He (Joe) didn't think God would miss out on an opportunity to wrestle with Jacob -- he wouldn't turn that over to anyone else.

God cares enough to struggle with us -- for us -- against us -- beside us. He is there, and he is not leaving.