What if He is calling us into more?

What if, like Jacob, we need our own Peniel experience?

Genesis 32:24-30
New King James Version
24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.
26 And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
27 So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.”
28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.
30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

This midnight encounter at Peniel wasn’t Jacob’s first experience with God’s blessing.

Years earlier at Bethel, God had already promised him land, descendants, and protection.

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭28‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭
New King James Version‬‬
12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants.
14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

So, it wasn’t like Jacob was not blessed. No! Jacob was already blessed—El Roi, the God who sees, had been watching over him. But Jacob needed more than a blessing; he needed transformation, he needed to see God for himself. You see, when you experience El-Roi, your story changes but when you experience Peniel, you change!

It is life-changing to notice that before this wrestling match, Jacob’s name betrayed his identity. He had always been—the schemer, the manipulator, the one who relied on his own strength and cleverness. (Genesis 25: 29-34, 27: 16-29)

He had God’s promises, but his character remained unchanged. It was only through this painful, all-night struggle that Jacob’s identity and name, was fundamentally altered.

The prophet Hosea later shows us in Hosea chapter 12 that this was no ordinary fight.

Hosea 12:2-4
New King James Version
2 “The Lord also brings a charge against Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways; according to his deeds He will recompense him.
3 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength he struggled with God.
4 Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; he wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, and there He spoke to us.”

Did you catch that? Jacob “wept, and sought favor.” This wasn’t a casual wrestling match. This was desperate, tearful persistence. It is impossible that a man would overpower an angel just by sheer brute force because from the description of angels throughout scripture, they are physically stronger than men. So, this struggle had to be something more than just a physical battle— it was prayer!

And the outcome of this persistent prayer wasn’t just receiving a blessing—it was becoming someone new!

The angel said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel”. The man who had lived by manipulation, who was an usurper throughout his life, was transformed into one who prevailed through a direct, honest relationship with God.

What does this mean for us today? Many of us experience God’s goodness regularly. We’ve been blessed with His protection, provision, and promises. We have had moments when God came through for us as El-Roi after words of prayer. But that isn’t all there is to receive! Have we been transformed? Has our identity been fundamentally altered?

True awakening comes through wrestling, not casual contact. It emerges from those moments when we refuse to let go until God changes not just our circumstances, but our very nature. It comes from staying in the place of prayer and continuing in prayer, remaining persistent in prayer because the place of prayer can never leave a man the same.

This principle isn’t limited to Jacob’s experience. Throughout scripture, we see transformation happening in places of struggle and persistence:

Like Jacob, our greatest spiritual awakenings often come in moments of vulnerability and confrontation. When our strength gives out and God’s strength takes over. When our plans fail and we’re forced to depend entirely on Him. When we’re willing to be wounded if it means being changed.

At Peniel, Jacob’s hip was dislocated—this was a physical manifestation of something that had happened in the spirit. Sometimes our transformation requires similar breaking; breaking of our pride, our self-sufficiency, our control. And in that moment, it may seem like punishments but in actuality, they are necessary steps in our metamorphosis.

What’s most striking about Jacob’s encounter is his determination. When the Man said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks,” Jacob refused. “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” This wasn’t a casual prayer.

This wasn’t a quick devotional before rushing off to the day’s activities. This was someone who recognized the eternal value of what was happening and refused to settle for anything less than total transformation.

This should set the pace for our own spiritual lives! Too often, as believers we wait for special meetings or Sunday services to stir up the fire on our altars. We experience momentary inspiration but no lasting transformation. We’re content with a quick word or blessing, then we’re off to the next thing.

Jacob teaches us that awakening requires persistence—staying in the place of prayer even when it’s difficult, painful, or inconvenient. It means saying, like Jacob, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” Not a blessing of provision or protection, but a blessing of transformation. This transformation happens when we move beyond shallow spirituality to a genuine hunger for prayer and constantly brood in the atmosphere of God’s glory.

This is the awakening we need—not just feeling God’s presence occasionally, but being fundamentally changed by it.

What would it look like for you to have your own Peniel experience, not just once, but daily? To approach prayer not as a ritual but as an opportunity to see God for yourself, knowing that you don’t need to wait for an El-Roi moment but you can stir up an atmosphere of Peniel.

We can’t be weak Christians where the only time we are on fire is during special meetings. We ought to have Peniel every day! You have to stay in the place of prayer, pushing through resistance, refusing to let go until transformation comes.

Remember Jacob’s words: “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” True awakening preserves us, not by shielding us from every difficulty, but by transforming us so completely that we’re able to face anything with God’s strength rather than our own.

Today, I challenge you to seek your own Peniel. Don’t settle for casual Christianity.

Don’t be content with blessings without transformation. Stay persistently in the place of prayer until you’re not just blessed, but changed. Until you don’t just have a new circumstance, but a new name.

Remember that prayer can NEVER leave you the same.

Prayer Point
As I pray now, I commit to daily persistence in prayer—not just for what You can give me, Lord, but for who You can make me become. Let my every encounter with You be a Peniel moment that leaves me forever altered for Your glory. Amen.