Change who you are

Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” (Genesis 32:28 ESV)

God changed Jacob's identity that morning.  He gave Jacob a new name, Israel.  Jacob wrestled God all night, and his life was spared (though he walked with a limp from then on).  I think this passage of scripture is so overlooked.  Jacobs identity changed in an instant do to his encounter with God.  He became the father of an entire nation.  

Do you ever feel like God has changed who you are?  Maybe he hasn't literally changed your name, but He has changed your identity.  Sometimes this change is painful, it leaves us with a limp as a reminder of where we have been and what we have been through. The other side of the struggle brings glory to Him, and gives us all the more reason to praise Him, as His strength is made perfect in our weakness.