To many of us, including myself, the phrase: “Broken before Blessed” is understood as a scriptural principle and process that God uses in our lives that is necessary for individual growth. I realize that many, especially those not in Christ may not fathom the thought that the Lord may use breaking or brokenness in our lives as a means of blessing in many forms.
I believe that brokenness is a growth process that all of us will have to go through in the course of our lives at various seasons. I have learned that the eventual benefit is not to resist the breaking – but to recognize and embrace the breaking. The breaking of our pride, our self-righteousness, and our self-reliance must come before growth is imparted and testimony is released to change the lives of others.
The prophetic “breakthrough” that we are looking for in our individual lives and corporate environments can only come through a complete surrender of our soulish natures. The “broken before blessed” principle is experienced in Genesis 32 and presented from an incredible event in the life of Jacob. At the time of this event, Jacob’s only real concern was for himself and a self-serving nature for much of his life. When Jacob was a teenager, he cheated his brother Esau out of the family birthright and privileged inheritance. Esau had become so furious that he determined to kill Jacob as soon as their father Isaac had died. Since Jacob had no chance against Esau in a hand-to-hand fight, he left home and traveled several hundred miles to separate himself from his brother. The good news is that God was not done with runaway Jacob!
In Genesis 32, Jacob finally begins his journey back home and, on the way, he received word that Esau was planning to meet him with 400 men. Of course, Jacob was afraid for his life, and he prayed for it! With word of this, he split his traveling party in two groups and sent some ahead to Esau with reconciliation gifts in the hope of appeasing the situation.
Jacob thought that he could buy his brother’s forgiveness and we see this in many marriages, in our children, and in business today. Jacob not only tried to buy forgiveness, but he put his family in front of himself as a kind of safety barrier between himself and his brother. I believe that between the lines, we can read the “cunning” plan of Jacob was to save his own skin at the expense of his own family in case Esau refused his gifts. The name coward certainly comes to mind.
It was while Jacob was alone at his campsite that a man came and began to wrestle with him. It is interesting to think what might have been said or done to provoke this fight. We know from other verses of scripture that this was no ordinary man or angel. Jacob was wrestling with the pre-incarnate Son of God in the form of a man!
Jacob was literally wrestling with God, but what’s really cool is that God was wrestling with Jacob! Most who know the scriptures realize that Jacob had learned many lessons from his many mistakes – but like many of us, he still had a way to go before he was thoroughly broken of his selfish nature and conniving disposition to always get or to have his way. And so, God met Jacob right where he was at and wrestled him person to person. Mano-a-mano.
Could it be that God is wrestling with us in certain areas of our lives that are essential for us to reach our destinies and full potential like Jacob? Are there areas in our lives that need to be wrestled with and broken down? What is God wrestling with me over? Am I embracing or resisting? We notice that the wrestling match was NOT over in a few minutes, although it very easily could have been with the Lord as the opponent! The Lord could easily have overpowered Jacob as He could us, but Jesus loves us enough to give us a will to learn and to choose. Of all the descriptions or titles that God that He could have chosen to call Himself, He simply said that “I am love.” It is impossible to give or receive love without free will. So, the Lord, in His divine plan and purposes, will patiently wrestle with us within our free wills in order to break us down of “SELF.” I realize in my life that my greatest enemy is not some dark evil or external force, it is ME.
I can only thank the Lord that He wrestles with all of us with longsuffering and patience. It was now near dawn after hours of wrestling that the Lord finally put a move on Jacob that would forever change his life and even in the way that he would walk. This move of God caused what seems to be a slight dislocation to the ball joint of his Jacob’s hip or thigh. This was a touch from the hand of God in a critical area of Jacob’s life. The point is that he would no longer be able to ‘run’ from his problems and mistakes. A touch from God within the battles of our minds may be painful, but it is a necessary part of the breaking and a growth process to obtain tremendous blessing.
The paradox is that the breaking process is the path that leads to abundant blessings. Not only was Jacob no longer able to run, but he was no longer able to wrestle. He had wrestled with God all night and at this point, he could only cling or hang on to God to prevent hitting the rock bottom of the ground. Jacob finally realized his helplessness and weakness along with his dependency and mercy from the one whom he was wrestling.
Jacob now would have to face his fears. He could no longer run from Esau and the only thing that Jacob could do was to hold on and ask for a blessing from the Lord. This was a turning point in Jacob’s life. Each one of us must likewise come to this same point of what we’re wrestling with in order to really experience all of the blessings, destiny, and anointing that the Lord would have for us in reaching fullness of life. So many times, it seems that the areas of our greatest natural strengths are the areas that the Lord will touch and “dislocate.”
The reasoning is so we will be dependent upon Him rather than our own strength. The Bible says that “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 It’s also worthy to note that the Lord specifically asked Jacob his name. Was it that the Lord needed to know? Of course not. Jacob had to know and own up to who he truly was and what the name ‘Jacob’ meant which is, “deceiver or supplanter.” Jacob fulfilled the meaning of his name perfectly; he spent his entire life to this point deceiving and conning others and the greatest con job of all was promoting a false spirituality.
By saying and confessing his name to God, Jacob openly confessed and came to the realization of who he truly was at the core of his being. Confession and the realization of who we truly are is the beginning of experiencing the fullness of the blessings of God. Trust me, I know firsthand! The stigma of the old name was removed, and Jacob was given a new name – “Israel.” Jacob was no longer a “deceiver”, but now, one who “persevered with God.”
We notice in Gen. 32:28 that Jacob prevailed with God. This does not mean that Jacob won the wrestling match, but rather he realized his defeat and held on to the only source of hope that he had. This breaking process worked a miracle in the life of Jacob as it does and will for us today before we leave this gathering.
Jacob now realized that God Himself had touched him. Jacob tried his best to get the “stranger” to reveal Himself by asking for His name. His name was not given, nor did He disclose Himself to Jacob as he did to his grandfather, Abraham. Could it be that Jacob still had something more to learn? I sincerely believe that the Lord revealed Himself to Jacob as time went on and Jacob would develop an intimate relationship and reliance upon God that would carry him from one blessing to another as he grew older. In any case, Jacob was a changed man and would give birth to the nation of Israel.
Jacob would now fulfill his purpose as a godly husband, father and man of God. The Lord would go on to say in the book of Hebrews that “He loved Jacob” rather than calling him “Israel.” God loves you and I wherever we’re at in life – even in our self and sin nature. Even in our emotional hurts and physical pain.
Regardless of our past mistakes, God loves us and desires to touch the areas of our lives that need to be dislocated to impart blessing. The Lord desires that we hold onto Him and allow His strength to hold us up., Even when our strength has given up. The Lord desires that we face the problems and people in our lives that we have run from. The things that we fear most. We must be the ministers of reconciliation that the Lord has called us to be. He desires that we face our past mistakes and pay our unpaid debts to those we owe in both word and deed, just as Jacob did.
Remember that the breaking process must come before the blessing. This picture of the life of Jacob should serve as an encouragement that the sun will rise and shine upon those who have wrestled with the Lord in the nighttime hours of life. Jacob would walk with a limp for rest of his life. Yeah, he was broken – but he was blessed beyond measure. He could now face his past and his problems and God would reward with favor and forgiveness. Jacob’s relationships were restored, and he would now experience the promise of the abundant life.
Written by Danny Korakas
Permission granted to use, share, and modify to the glory of Christ.
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