Welcome, friends. Today we step into the story of Jacob, a man who found himself wrestling in the darkness. A struggle that left him limping, yet transformed.

Genesis 32:24-32 tells us of Jacob's solitary wrestling match with God, a divine encounter that would forever change him.

“Many people confuse religion with God and walk away from them both. The point isn't Christianity, the point is being a Christian.”

Jacob, wrestling in the dark, shows us the audacious character needed to live a life of faith.

“In my opinion, and this part is certainly my opinion, I think God is looking for a little audacity in his children.”

The struggle, the grappling, the wrestling—this is where we find God. In the highs and lows, in the best and the worst.

“God is in the best, and also the worst. God is in the presence, and also in the absence. God is in the power, and also in the powerlessness.”

In Jacob’s wrestling, we see a man not willing to let go until he receives a blessing.

“When we fall, God picks us up, dusts us off and says, 'Try again.' We jump back into the work we are called by God to do, knowing that we will get bruised.”

Jacob walked away from his wrestling match with a limp, a mark of his encounter with God and a reminder of his audacious faith.

Our walk with God may leave us limping, but it also leaves us transformed, stronger, and blessed.

“Our tendency in the midst of suffering is to turn on God. To get angry and bitter and shake our fist at the sky and say, 'God, you don't know what it's like! You don't understand! You have no idea what I'm going through.'”

But God does understand. He wrestles with us in the darkness, meets us in our struggle, and transforms us in the process.

Jacob wrestled with God and prevailed. He came out of the struggle with a new name, Israel, and a new identity.

We too can come out of our struggles with a new name, a new identity. We can walk away limping, but transformed and blessed.

The limp is not a sign of defeat, but a badge of honor, a testament to our resilience, and a mark of our audacious faith.

So let us wrestle, friends. Let us wrestle with God in the midst of our struggles, knowing that in the wrestling, we find transformation.

We may walk away limping, but we will also walk away blessed, transformed, and carrying a new name.

So let us walk with our limps proudly, knowing that they are a testament to our faith, our struggle, and our transformation.

And in our limping, we can find comfort knowing that God walks with us, wrestles with us, and transforms us.

Friends, let us embrace the limping walk of faith. For it is in the wrestling, in the struggle, that we find God.

And it is in the limping, in the transformation, that we become who we are meant to be.

So walk with your limp, friends. Wrestle with God. And know that in the struggle, you will find transformation.

And remember, “The point isn't Christianity, the point is being a Christian.”

Let us walk with our limps, wrestle with our faith, and be transformed in the process.

For it is in the limping, in the wrestling, that we find God and become who we are meant to be.

This is our journey, our struggle, our wrestling match. And in it, we find our transformation.

So, let us walk with our limps, knowing that we are walking with God, wrestling with faith, and being transformed in the process.

This is the audacious faith of Jacob. This is our audacious faith.

So, let us walk with our limps. Let us wrestle in the dark. And let us be transformed in the process.

Remember, “God is in the best, and also the worst. God is in the presence, and also in the absence. God is in the power, and also in the powerlessness.”

So, let us embrace the struggle. Let us embrace the limping. And let us embrace the transformation.

For it is in the wrestling, in the limping, that we find God. And it is in the wrestling, in the limping, that we find ourselves.

So, let us wrestle. Let us limp. And let us be transformed. For this is the walk of faith.

This is our journey. This is our struggle. This is our transformation. Let us walk with our limps, knowing that we are walking with God.