Wrestling With God I

Preached October 11, 2026 - Morning Sermon (Audio Only)
Text: Genesis 32:23-24
Heritage Baptist Church

Listen below or at SermonAudio.

Sermon Description

This sermon traces the life of Jacob from his birth through his years with Laban to the night he was left alone at the Jabbok. It shows how God's purpose of election, His providence, and His permissive will worked through Jacob's deceit to advance the covenant promises given to Abraham and Isaac. In Genesis 32:1-32, fear and distress led Jacob to treat his assumptions about Esau as settled fact, to devise an irrational plan of dividing his household, and to forget both the recent angelic visitation at Mahanaim and the deliverance he had just received from Laban. The message calls believers to meet every anxiety with prayer and thanksgiving so that the peace of God may guard their hearts and minds through Christ. It points to the God of grace who hears prayer, restores the self-reliant, and uses even our fears for our sanctification.

Scripture

And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
- Genesis 32:23-24

Reflection Questions

1. How does fear often turn mere possibilities into assumed facts that then shape our plans?
2. In what ways have you forgotten a recent deliverance or promise of God when a new trial arrived?
3. Why is prayer designed to be the first response to anxiety rather than the last?
4. How does giving thanks in everything help us trust that God is using even distressing circumstances for our sanctification?

Adapted from the sermon preached October 11, 2026 by Pastor Mike Stewart.

For further reading: Genesis 32:1-32; Hosea 12:3-4; Romans 9:10-13; Ephesians 1:11; Philippians 4:6-7; 1689 Confession, 5.4.

Mike Stewart, Pastor | Heritage Baptist Church

Mike was born and raised in central Mississippi. After graduating from Mississippi State in 1986, God changed his course of direction with a deep conviction of sin and desire to follow Christ. He then met his wife, Peggy, while attending church in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1998, he was ordained to the ministry in Bel Air, Maryland, and ultimately moved to Huntsville, Alabama, to begin his first pastorate. In 2005, Heritage was formed and called him to be her founding pastor.