God's Glory Church

“And the sun shone upon him when he crossed Penuel. And he limped on his thigh.” — Genesis 32:32

Faye touched the scars on her stomach. She underwent another operation to remove a cancerous tumor. This time, the doctors removed part of the stomach and left an uneven scar that testified to the extent of their work. Faye told her husband, “Scars are symbols of suffering or healing. I choose the latter. They are signs of my healing.”

Jacob faced a similar choice after his nightly struggle with God. The angel injured his thigh, leaving Jacob emaciated and with a noticeable limp. When Jacob massaged his thigh months later, I wonder what he was thinking?

Was he full of regret for his years of deception that led to this fateful match? God’s messenger tried to get the truth out of him, refusing to bless him until Jacob admitted who he really was. He confessed that he was Jacob, “the one holding on to the heel” (see Genesis 25:26). He deceived his brother Esau and father-in-law Laban to gain an advantage. God’s fighter said that Jacob’s new name will be “Israel, because you have fought with God and with people, and you have prevailed” (v. 29).

Jacob’s lameness symbolized the death of his old life in deception and the beginning of a new life with God. The end of Jacob and the beginning of Israel. His lameness forced him to lean on God, who was now powerfully working in him and through him.

What spiritual scars do you have? How can they symbolize the end of something bad and the beginning of something new?

Heavenly Father, my lameness is a sign of Your love.

Author: Mike Whittmer