The Old Testament patriarch Jacob found himself in a literal wrestling match with God. The Canaanite woman found herself in a metaphorical wrestling match with Jesus. What is a person to do when it appears that God is opposing you?

Jacob is the most uncertain he’s ever been in his life. He has two wives and two concubines. He’s got eleven children. He’s wealthy. And he just received word that his brother, Esau, wants to see him. He’s nervous out of his mind.

The last time he saw his brother, Esau had made a vow to kill Jacob. Both Esau and Jacob have had a lot of years to think about it. Jacob—as we all tend to do—assumes the worst. He’s sure that his brother has been stewing about Jacob stealing the firstborn inheritance and the Messianic blessing from him all those years before. And Esau may be letting his anger seethe. It happens. People bottle up their anger, refusing to forgive, even if it destroys their own health.

Jacob is convinced that Esau wants revenge—and he seems uncertain whether the Lord is with him or not. After all, if God really were with him, why would he be allowing something so terrible to happen? With human eyes, Jacob could analyze the situation around him and feel as though God is not with him and maybe has turned against him.

It absolutely appears that Jesus has no interest in dealing with the Canaanite woman. She’s in her own terrible situation—with a daughter severely demon possessed. Clearly, she is aware of Jesus and she knows that He’s in her region. So, she comes seeking help in her great time of need. Imagine the horror of a child being attacked and taken over by a demon. Both Jacob and the Canaanite woman are in the hour of deepest need.

The woman, with boldness and confidence approaches Jesus. She has the right posture. She’s crying. She uses the right words. “Have mercy on me, Son of David.” He ignores her. He does something worse than telling her, “NO!” He pretends she doesn’t even exist. The disciples—maybe feeling annoyed, perhaps feeling uncomfortable—plead with Jesus to tell her to go away.

Jacob goes to sleep at night, knowing that the next day he will see his brother. Like we often do during times of extreme stress, he probably goes to bed with the fateful encounter on his mind. During the night, he finds himself wrestling with someone—a match that possibly goes on for hours. They wrestle until just before daybreak. The match is heading for a tie, because Jacob isn’t giving in to the One he’s wrestling.

When the disciples ask Jesus to send the woman away, He responds kind of coldly, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” He’s not wrong. The angel told Joseph and Mary to give Him the name Jesus, because “He will save His people from their sins.” His people. Israel. She comes and kneels right in front of Him, begging for help. The Canaanite woman refuses to give up on her daughter’s great need.

As Jacob and the man wrestle to a stalemate, the man simply touches Jacob’s hip socket, putting it out of joint. The man tells Jacob to let him go, but Jacob refuses. Maybe Jacob realized it during the wrestling, maybe it was when his hip got jolted, but Jacob realizes he’s not wrestling just another man. He seeks a blessing from God. He wants assurance that the Lord is with him as he goes to see his brother.

Finally, finally, after all this time, Jesus finally speaks to the Canaanite woman… and He totally insults her. “It’s not right to take the children’s bread (what belongs to the Israelites) and throw it to the dogs (Gentiles).” If that’s not a big, fat, “No, I’m not helping your daughter,” then I don’t know what is.

What do you do when it appears that God is against you? You hold Him to His grace and mercy. And that’s just what the woman does. She grants that she’s a dog who doesn’t deserve to eat at the table, but she still believes in Jesus. She believes that He’s the Savior and Lord, not just of Israel but of the whole world. And she confesses her belief. “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the masters’ table.” He sets her up to use His words in order to confess her faith in His goodness, even if He’s not showing it at the moment. What a lesson for the disciples! What a lesson for us! Jesus immediately commends her faith and heals her daughter. The Canaanite woman, a Gentile, is a believer in Jesus—the Savior of the lost sheep of Israel and the world.

Jacob refuses to let go unless he gets a blessing. Holding to the Lord’s goodness, he refuses to give up the wrestling match. He gets the blessing—a new name. Israel. We still call him Jacob to this day, but we call his descendants by his new name. The twelve tribes of Israel. He’s so-called because he’s “striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Martin Luther comments about this: He prevails “through that faith which holds so firmly to God’s Word, until it overcomes God’s wrath and obtains God as the gracious Father.” He wants the Lord’s blessing and assurance, and he gets it with the name change.

Since they’re on the subject of names, Jacob asks the man for his name. The man simply states: “Why is it that you ask my name?” Jacob wanted the clearest proof of his wrestling opponent’s identity, but he didn’t need to ask. He already knew it was the Lord. The proof was in the blessing—let alone his own hip socket! The Lord blessed him again—most likely with the blessings received numerous times by Abraham, Isaac, and himself.

As the Lord Jesus healed the daughter of the Canaanite woman, so the Lord was with Jacob when he went to face Esau. After all these years, instead of running toward Jacob to kill him, Esau ran to Jacob and gave him a big ol’ bear hug. Their enmity was over. They were reconciled. There was forgiveness. They were brothers again.

What do you do, brothers and sisters in Christ, when it appears that the Lord has abandoned you or that He has turned against you? What do you do when you find yourself wrestling with God? Maybe it’s a really bad illness. Maybe it’s maybe it’s family problems. Maybe it’s a financial burden. Maybe it’s the heavy load of sin. What do you do? You keep your eyes focused on Jesus. Faith in Christ waits patiently for the “yes,” when all you seem to be getting is “no.” The ultimate “yes,” the one that matters most, is seeing Him face to face one day.

There are Christians in the world—maybe even in our midst—whose hearts are filled with peace and comfort in the Lord, despite things looking like the opposite. They know that the Lord hasn’t promised a rosy now. He’s promised that in the world there will be tribulations. But the Lord has also told us to “take heart,” promising that He has overcome the world.

We wrestle with God as we suffer the challenges of this world that are bound to happen while we cling to His blessed Word. Luther’s right. Jacob prevails through faith in God’s Word. As does the Canaanite woman. Clinging to the Word of promise, brothers and sisters in Christ, you prevail, and one day you will hear, “Well done, faithful servants. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you.” Amen.