Truths from the OT: Wrestling with God may define you.

Wrestling with God may define you.  Before Jacob met Esau for the first time since he stole his enraged brother's birth right and blessing, he met and wrestled a man who turned out to be God.  God renames Jacob “Israel” for his persistence in the struggle characterizing his new-found identity and the future nation that would spring from him (Gen. 32:27).  Renaming an individual as a mark of their redefining occurred when Abraham's name was changed from “Exalted Father” to “Father of Many” for wrestling with God's promises (17:3-8).  Jesus renamed Peter, formerly Simon (John 1:42), and Matthew, formerly Levi (Matt. 9:9/Luke 5:27), as each was faced with leaving everything for the kingdom.  While the importance of names has diminished, our struggles with God still uniquely shape us and may ultimately define us.  A pastor may find their calling for ministry in a sin that plagues them, realizing that God equips us through our struggles (2 Cor. 12:7-10).  Sadly, those who deny or run from God will not defy his sovereignty, and their lives may be defined by failures that result God's glory (Ex. 14:17).