Hold On to God 紧紧抓住上帝

[Dexu Xia]

I will not let you go unless you bless me. Genesis 32:26

Today's Scripture Genesis 32:22-28

Today's Insights  We might think the story of Jacob is about his deception. He twice cheated his brother Esau, which forced him to flee from his family (Genesis 27:41-45; 28:10). God stepped in, however, and Jacob is remembered as a pillar of faithful persistence. God met Jacob in a dream (28:12-17), a dramatic intervention that prompted him to declare, “The Lord will be my God” (v. 21). Two decades later, he still feared his brother, who’d sworn to kill him (27:41), but again God intervened (32:1). Jacob understood the significance of his first encounter with God at Bethel (28:16-19), and he understood this meeting too. “This is the camp of God!” he said (32:2). Jacob’s sins were obvious, yet his persistent faith was in the one true God. His name was changed from Jacob, the supplanter (25:26; 27:36) to Israel—one who struggled with God and overcame (32:28). Today, God will also help us be persistent in our faith as we hold on to Him

Today's Devotional    At our school district’s championship wrestling match, children as young as eight grappled on gym mats, deploying clever holds to wrestle down their opponents and win. An ancient sport, wrestling demands a savvy combination of takedowns, escapes, pins, and other point-winning maneuvers to come out on top. One little third-grade girl—a crowd favorite—was simply faster than all her opponents, using swift moves that seemed to trick her rivals into defeat.

Jacob used tricky moves to get the best of his twin brother Esau, “wrestling” Esau out of his birthright to their father’s inheritance (Genesis 25:33) and life blessing (27:27-40). But stealing the blessing kept Jacob on the run, forcing him to flee his father’s household, depend on his cunning father-in-law, and live in fear of his brother’s wrath.

Later, he found himself alone, wrestling all night with a man who was God Himself. “Let me go,” the man told Jacob, “for it is daybreak” (32:26). But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (v. 26). Finally Jacob was seeking a blessing of his own, holding tight to God even until his name was changed to reflect his changed heart.

No tricky moves were needed to gain this rich blessing from God—only persistence. Jacob was learning to live in relationship with God. It’s a persistent and honest hold—a winning move God will reward.

Reflect & Pray

What does it mean for you to hold tight to God? How has spiritual persistence blessed you?

As I hold on to You, dear Father, please help me in my spiritual persistence. By Patricia Raybon

除非你祝福我，否则我决不放你走。（创世记 32:26）

 今日经文：创世记 32章22-28节

 今日洞见： 或许我们认为雅各的故事就是在讲他是个骗子。因他两次欺骗了他的哥哥以扫，不得不逃离家园（创世记 27:41-45；28:10）。然而，上帝介入了，雅各也因此被铭记为信心坚定的信徒的典范。上帝在梦中与雅各相遇（28:12-17），这次戏剧性的干预促使他宣告：“耶和华必作我的神”（21 节）。二十年后，他仍然害怕他的哥哥，因为他的哥哥曾发誓要杀他（27:41），但上帝再次介入（32:1）。雅各明白他在伯特利与上帝第一次相遇意义深远（28:16-19），他也明白这次相遇同样非凡。“这是神的殿！”他说（32:2）。雅各的罪显而易见，但他对独一真神的信心却始终坚定不移。他的名字从雅各（意为“篡位者”）（25:26；27:36）改为以色列，一个与神摔跤并得胜的人（32:28）。今天，当我们紧紧抓住上帝时，祂也会帮助我们在信仰上持之以恒。

 今日灵修 在我们学区的摔跤锦标赛上，八岁大的孩子们在体育馆的垫子上摔跤，他们运用巧妙的招式摔倒对手，赢得比赛。摔跤是一项古老的运动，需要巧妙地结合摔倒、挣脱、压制和其他得分技巧才能获胜。一位观众最爱的三年级的小女孩，动作比所有对手都快，她运用快速的动作，似乎总是能巧妙地击败对手。

雅各也曾用狡猾的手段胜过他的孪生兄弟以扫，从以扫手中“夺走”了父亲的继承权（创世记 25:33）和祝福（27:27-40）。但雅各偷取祝福的举动迫使他逃离父家，他不得不四处奔波，在狡猾的岳父家中寄人篱下，活在哥哥怒气的恐惧之中。后来，他发现自己整夜孤身一人与一位神人摔跤。那人对雅各说“让我走吧，因为天快亮了”（32:26）。但雅各回答说：“你不给我祝福，我就不让你走”（26节）。最终，雅各开始寻求属于自己的祝福，紧紧抓住神，直到他的名字被改变，以此反映出他内心的转变。

获得神丰盛的祝福不需要任何诡计，只需要坚持不懈。雅各正在学习如何与神建立关系。这是一种真诚坚定的依靠，神会奖赏这种蒙福的举动。

 反思与祷告 对你来说，紧紧抓住神意味着什么？属灵的坚持如何祝福了你？ 亲爱的天父，当我紧紧抓住你时，请帮助我保持属灵的坚持。

作者：Patricia Raybon