Tell Me Your Name

Genesis 32:29-31 RecVer

29. And Jacob asked Him and said, Please tell me Your name. But He said, Why is it that you ask My name? And He blessed him there.

30. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, for, he said, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been preserved.

31. And the sun rose upon him as he crossed over Penuel, and he limped because of his hip.

Jacob wrestled with a man who suddenly seemed to appear from nowhere, and after the wrestling disappeared. This is a sure sign that that man had been with Jacob all the time, for he neither came nor left, he just appeared and disappeared. This is the man whom Jacob described in his latter days as "the God who shepherded me all my life to this day."

"And Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. And when the man saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated as he wrestled with Him." (Genesis 32:24-25) Recovery Version

"And he blessed Joseph and said, / The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, / The God who has shepherded me all my life to this day," (Genesis 48:15) Recovery Version

However, this man who wrestled with him did not reveal his name when he asked him. Jacob pleaded, "Please tell me Your name." Instead of answering his question, the man questioned him back without answering, and yet blessed him. Who is this mysterious man?

To Jacob, experientially, that man was God who blessed him after dealing with him, breaking him, and transforming him. To us too, experientially, this man has been with us all the time, physically invisible in Himself, but very real in person, things and matters. The man is God as the Spirit working silently yet steadily transforming us day by day.

I was enlightened to see who this man is whose name is unknown. It was God’s sovereignty that that man did not tell his name upon being asked by Jacob. Because that man experientially is in different forms. In fact, in my life, he could be my family members; my wife, my son, my daughter, my cousins, my niece, my brothers in the church, or even anybody who is the Lord-in-disguise or whom the Lord used to accomplish His purpose in me. 

Once I got this revelation, all my questionings about the people around me have stopped. Now, I understood why God allowed many mysterious things to happen to me, with many enigmas. The many "whys?" have now become many "wows!" Hallelujah!

Now I know why Jacob's request, "please tell me Your name" was never granted. Now I know why many so-called prayers were not answered. Actually, they were already answered and I didn't know that they were already answered. Actually, the answers came in many ways I did not expect nor apprehend in the it should. What I need was my eyes to be enlightened to see as God sees.

Thank the Lord for this man who did not tell his name inspite of being asked. For he has too many names; different at different times. Please tell me Your name, again? No name, its an experience.