Genesis 28:21

Then shall. He had thought of God as the God of his fathers. To be sure, he had long ago taken Jehovah to be his God. But whereas in the past he had depended to a great extent on the security of his father’s home, circumstances had now made necessary a much more personal and real reliance upon God for all that he had casually taken for granted thus far through life. It was not a matter of coming to God for the first time, but of a more intimate, mature, and understanding fellowship with Him.

From this time forward Jacob gave evidence of loyalty to God. He yielded himself to divine control and rendered God the homage of a great, glad, and loving heart. What progress he made during the 20 years between Bethel and Peniel! Grace reigned within, but there was conflict as well. His tendencies to evil remained active, and occasionally he yielded all too readily to them. But right principles steadily gained control of his life, and he returned to Canaan with mature trust in God. Under the patient discipline administered by God, he gained steadily in faith until, from the great crisis of his life at Mahanaim and Peniel, he emerged “a prince with God.”