And there he built an altar and named it El-Elohe-Israel. (Genesis 33:20 NLT)
God changes Jacob's name. He used to be Jacob, now he is Israel. Israel was a person before a nation. He never would have become the nation without being the person.
Before chapter 33, Jacob refers to God several times. He always refers to God as the God of his grandfather Abraham or his father Isaac.
He comes face to face with God, wrestling him all night & something changes in Jacob. Jacob no longer refers to God as the God of his ancestors but he builds an alter to God, the God of Israel.
When God changed Jacob's name he also changed his heart. Jacob's faith used to be his father's faith, now it's his. It used to be something he had heard about now it's something he has experienced first hand. God is HIS God!
There comes a point in every person's life where God must become their God. It's not enough for God to be the God of our friends, God of our pastor, God of our parents, or the God of our all group. It's not an authentic relationship until it is personal. Attending church & small group & going on a mission trip does not make God our God. Surrendering to him & trusting in Christ personally, entering into a real relationship is what we must have to be his.
Is God our God? Is he personal? Do we know him? Does he know us? Or are we simply riding the spiritual coattails of others?
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