Genesis 32 should encourage us because it reveals that no matter how messed up our lives may be, no matter how many bad decisions we have made, and no matter how much we have wrecked the relationships around us, if we encounter the living God, then we can be given a new life. The New Testament teaches that we can encounter God through His Son, Jesus, and that, in Christ, we bear His name! So, our identity will no longer be wrapped up in our sin, rather our identity will be as beloved children of God.

God chose this man with all his wretched past to be the agent through whom He would bring His blessing of salvation to the whole world. Because Jacob would have a son, and his son would have a son, until eventually a virgin peasant girl would have a Son named Jesus – the Savior of the world! Through Jesus, God can change your life forever and use you to bring blessing to the world around you. He will give you a new identity and a new purpose that fuels your life like never before.

• What ways do people around you see you live out your identity as a child of God through Jesus?