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Daily Devotion: Genesis 32:29-31

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Genesis 32:29-31    "And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.  (30)  And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.  (31)  And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh."

God had just asked Jacob's name. Again, just to keep our minds in the right place - God did not need to learn Jacob's name; rather, Jacob needed to be reminded of what he was capable of doing on his own. Neither he, nor any of us, are capable of doing anything good on our own ability. Jesus said, "Without me, you can do nothing." I fully believe that. But now, Jacob is asking God's name.  "Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?"  Why are you asking my name?  You have heard my voice back at Bethel. You have been praying to me and now you have seen me. You know who I am because it is written in your heart. "And he blessed him there."  Jacob had pronounced Him as the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, but he stopped short of calling him, "my God."  That is soon to be changed.

For Jacob, God "... had touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank."  From that point on, Jacob walked with a limp. But that limp was a constant reminder of God's mercy, grace, love, and power that was constantly exhibited in the life of Jacob. With every step, Jacob would always remember the times when God intervened in his life. If we all stop to think, there has been a time (or many times) when we can look back and know the touch of God was upon our life at that particular moment. If we truly stopped to consider this, we can see God's hand upon us every single day. If we really stop to consider our lives, we all have a "Peniel" place in our life where we, by faith, saw the face of God and felt the touch of His hand on us.

He Touched Me
by Bill and Gloria Gaither

Shackled by a heavy burden,
'Neath a load of guilt and shame
Then the hand of Jesus touched me,
And now I am no longer the same

He touched me, oh He touched me,
And oh the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole

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