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Jan 27 Wrestling with God

 27_Wrestling with God Gen 32:24-32 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” 29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” 31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon. Hos 12:3,4 In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his mature strength he contended with God. 4 Yes, he wrestled with the angel and prevailed; He wept and implored His favor. Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch Christian who sheltered Jews during Hitler’s reign of terror. Betrayed, she and her sister endured the horrors of Nazi concentration camp life during World War II. Despite numerous trials and miseries, they shared the good news of Christ with others in the camps. Many found God’s forgiveness and love in that setting of horror. After her release, she traveled the world, sharing her testimony of God’s grace and forgiveness. At one meeting, as she stood to receive people after her message, she recognized the man in front of her as a particularly brutal guard in one of the camps. This man had even beaten up her frail sister Betsie for not being able to work as hard as the others. Betsie died just before Corrie was released. Now the ex-guard smiled as he joyfully repeated what she had just spoken about - that God’s love could overcome any sin, no matter how great. But as he held his hand out for her to shake, her heart was in a wild tumult of anger, pain, and bitterness. How dare he smile at her after doing such evil? How could she forgive such a man? In that moment of inner turmoil, she clung to just one thought. She promised God that she would hold out her hand even though she felt only hatred for him. God would have to do the rest. As she took his hand, the miracle happened. She was filled to overflowing with love and forgiveness for her former enemy. She experienced the power of Christ to forgive his enemies in that moment. This striking story reminds us of what it means