God asks Jacob question: “What is your name?” It is an invitation to confess. He answers, of course: “My name is Jacob.” I’m a rascal - trickster - a fraud. Never had the man been so honest. And that honesty - that confession - changed his life. God says in response, “Not anymore. You have wrestled with God and you have prevailed. Your name is now Israel.” Jacob wasn't blessed because he had worked so hard for it. No, he had worked so hard, he was now so exhausted and so at the end of himself, that finally he could received what only God could give him. His moxie took him all the way to the door, but only an unclenched fist could open that door; only an open and empty hand could accept what was on the other side. It didn’t just happen on this one night: For years God let Jacob just wear himself out with the struggle - using up all his strength, strategies, and craftiness. And now - finally - Jacob was done. Spent. Deeply wounded. Now completely incapable of getting what he wanted with his own power; only then could he receive what was needed.

Speaking from Psalm 19 and the Hebrew Proverbs, Ronnie brings his "Simplify" series to a conclusion, inviting us all to simplify our speech: "It’s perennial wisdom. When it comes to talking, less is more. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all previous doubt. Nowhere is simplification more applicable, no where can it be more readily applied than when it comes to our speech, our words. Spoken, written, hurled as darts with the intention of causing pain, blasted over emails, trolling in the comments section, in the heat of battle saying things you can never pull back: Hear the voice of Wisdom: A truly wise person uses few words…keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.”