“I became aware that a cloud of Glory had entered the room and was hovering above me. … The divine visitations continued for five nights, becoming increasingly prolonged and intense. … I began to realize that this was a special visitation of God Himself, like the one Jacob had experienced.”
(“Night Visions,” Light & Life magazine, March/April 2005)

It has been more than a year since the Lord visited me in a supernatural way. Admittedly, that was an extraordinary experience; now I am back to the challenges of dealing with the ordinary.

The story of Jacob’s spiritual life during and after his encounter with God at Peniel has continued to inform me as I have sought to learn from my own “Peniel experience.”

Confession May Precede Blessing
God already knew Jacob. Yet He asked, as a pre-condition to blessing him, “What is your name?” God wanted him to acknowledge — with his own mouth — that he was “Jacob.”

What does the name “Jacob” reveal about him? Hebrew scholars suggest the name means “deceiver” or “supplanter.” Not a flattering descriptor. However, it does seem to reflect something of Jacob’s character, as revealed in his life story. He supplanted his brother Esau, who was the firstborn, and deceptively acquired Esau’s birthright. Then Jacob deceived his uncle, Laban, (who almost upstaged him) and took his flocks.

How might we characterize Jacob as a person? I think this paraphrase comes close: “the one who contended with others, and always came out on top.”

Jacob’s character is reflected in the Peniel story. Alone in the night, he sensed a “man” invading his territory. What did Jacob do? He fought with his opponent, wrestling him to the ground, throughout the night — injured, but not giving in. And when it became clear that he could not win the match, Jacob still would not let go until he got something (a blessing) from his opponent.

What about me? Well, my name is Wayne, which means “wagon (burden-bearer).” That seems fitting. Throughout my life, I have been a hard worker, one who shoulders responsibility; my wife calls me her “servant.” But the par-
aphrase of my character is more revealing: “the one who sets high goals, and accomplishes them in the shortest time possible.”

I went through college in three years, graduating with top honors in two majors. And so my story goes, right down to this day. Most recently, I am noted for having brought Northeastern Seminary to full accreditation in less than five years, setting a historic record.

I am who I am. That’s the way God made me, and it’s who I have become. And how about Jacob? Well, Jacob was Jacob. Both of us could be characterized as men with considerable strengths of character and leadership, but with undeniable personal weaknesses as well.

It’s a simple question: “What’s your name?” But why does God ask it?

There is one pre-condition to receiving a divine blessing upon our lives: the acknowledgment before God of who we are — our strengths and weaknesses, our shortcomings and sins. God already knows us through and through. But we must be willing to admit to ourselves who we are and acknowledge our need before God. Then, He can — and will — bless us.

Wounded for Life
Even if he were the underdog, normally Jacob, being Jacob, would have persisted until he won out over his opponent. But in this nighttime wrestling match at Peniel, he could not get the upper hand. Still, Jacob would not give in or give up trying.

Finally, when his opponent “saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled” (Genesis 32:25). This resulted in a serious injury. Jacob would walk away from this match with a permanent limp (32:31-32).

Still, Jacob would not let go despite the pain.

Finally, after they had wrestled all night long, Jacob demanded, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (32:26).

In asking for a blessing, Jacob acknowledged that he had reached the end of his own resources and recognized that his “opponent” had something to offer him that he needed and did not have himself. In receiving the blessing, Jacob recognized that the one with whom he had been contending all night was God Himself, the one “from whom all blessings flow”!

Peniel was the place from which Jacob walked away with a limp, but received the blessing of a new name — a new identity — prefiguring the transformation of the believer, who is made a “new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is God’s greatest gift.

My experience following prostate cancer seemed similar, so I call it “Wayne’s Peniel.” It was there that I encountered God, as well as myself, in a new way. It was there, in that experience, that God gave me a new sense of identity and mission in life. It was an extraordinary, transforming personal encounter with God.

Though prostate surgery and the underlying cancer have left me wounded for life, more significantly I am one who — like Jacob — has been deeply, wonderfully and thoroughly blessed.

The Danger of Spiritual Decline
The highest point in Jacob’s spiritual life, his encounter with God at Peniel, is described at the end of Genesis 32. Genesis 34 tells the story of the lowest point, only one chapter (about three years) later.

The fact that it happened was Jacob’s own fault.

Jacob had moved his family into close proximity to a pagan city. His daughter, Dinah, visiting among the women of that city, caught the eye of the ruler’s son, Shechem (after whom the city was named). Shechem forced his intentions on Dinah, but — having fallen in love — asked to marry her. Jacob and his sons agreed and entered into a covenant with the people of Shechem. The men were circumcised. But then, while they were “still in pain,” Jacob’s sons fell on them and killed them, taking their women and children captive and pillaging the city.

Jacob did not intervene. Only after the carnage had ceased did he upbraid his sons: “You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to … the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed” (Genesis 34:30, italics mine). That’s it. We might have expected a moral outcry. But no, totally self-focused, Jacob’s protest was all about “me.”

How, so soon after Peniel, had Jacob reached such a low point spiritually? Genesis 33 (the intervening chapter) tells the story. Four spiritual truths can be gleaned from the discernable downward steps Jacob chose to take. Such truths must inform and impact our daily lives if we are to move forward in new strength and purpose:

1. Extraordinary spiritual experiences must transform our daily lives. Having wrestled at Peniel with “the man” (God) until daybreak, Jacob “looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men” (Genesis 33:1). Immediately, Jacob resumed his organizational preparations for this encounter. Indeed, he went “back to work” — as though Peniel had never happened! That was the first downward step.

2. Lack of honesty with self, God and others undermines the Christian life. Always the deceiver, Jacob lied to his brother about his true intentions. Though indicating that he would follow Esau and join him later, he set off in exactly the opposite direction (33:12-17).

3. Don’t settle down. At Succoth, Jacob “built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock” (33:17). This made worldly sense: There were good pasturelands here. But, viewed spiritually, Jacob was settling down — for a time at least — in earthly ease and prosperity. This is always a danger. And it poses a threat to our spiritual welfare. Jacob set aside his relationship with “the God of Bethel” and his calling (31:13) to pursue his own ends.

4. Move far away from temptation. As his next stopping place, Jacob moved his family into close proximity to the pagan city Shechem. Ignoring the spiritual dangers, he purchased a plot of land and pitched his tent there (33:18). As we already know, this nearness to evil brought temptation, immorality and violence upon him and his family. The Bible repeatedly exhorts those who follow God to “flee immorality.” To live as close as possible to it poses a significant risk to our spiritual well-being.

Extraordinary (crisis) experiences, like my cancer and God’s nighttime visitations, can radically transform an ordinary Christian life — and must if we are to retain the glow. But they can all too easily be swallowed up by the ordinary and by day-to-day temptations — unless we daily come before God, look into His face and then go forth from His presence, reflecting His likeness to all around us.