As Jacob returns to Canaan, the day of reckoning with Esau, that he put off all those years before, is finally arriving. Jacob knows it, and he is scared. His first instinct is to take care of things himself, true to form, but this time, he knows that he cannot save himself.

So it is that here we have Jacob’s first recorded prayer. Finally, after all his decades of planning, scheming and striving to get good things for himself, Jacob throws himself on the mercy of God, calling on God’s promises, and begging for safety for himself and his family.

Here, Jacob experiences what so many others have also experienced. After years of trusting to his own skills, cunning, expertise and intelligence, and barely even noticing the hand of God at work in the blessing he has received, Jacob has come to the end of his own resources. He cannot save himself. He must trust in God to save him.

How much easier for Jacob, and for us, if we could only surrender to God much earlier? How much trouble, conflict and wasted time might Jacob have saved himself if he had put matters into God’s hands way back in his youth? So many of Jacob’s problems, including this one, have come from his own actions. Really, he is asking God to save him from a problem he has brought on himself.

The result of Jacob’s prayer is the encounter at Peniel. Here, Jacob proves to God how serious he is about receiving God’s blessing. Here God proves to Jacob that he will receive the greatest blessing when he comes to the end of himself, of his own plans, strategies and resources, and surrenders to the Lord completely.

From that day on, Jacob was changed, not just in his attitudes, but also in body and in name. An encounter with God is a life-changing thing, but God offers his presence to all who will enter in. We do not have to wait until we are at the end of ourselves to accept his gracious invitation.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH