Wrestling with God – October 22, 2022

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”
Genesis 32:24-28

Wrestling with God

God doesn’t always give us what we want, at least not right away. Have you noticed this? You pray and pray and pray for something, but there seems to be no answer. Sometimes we become discouraged or angry with God because it appears that he’s not listening. We might even conclude that God doesn’t love us!

To accuse God of not loving us is a sin of the highest order. God is love. He showed that love when he sent his Son to die on a cross as payment for our sins. God’s love for us is greater than any other love we can imagine.

So, why doesn’t God give us what we want when we want it? Sometimes he gives us the opportunity to exercise our faith by being persistent in prayer. Wrestling with God in prayer is a way to demonstrate that we trust he will do what is best for us, in his own time and in his own way.

We won’t wrestle God physically the way Jacob did in this unusual story from the Bible. But we do wrestle with God spiritually in our prayers. Like Jacob, be bold and persistent in asking for God’s blessing. Then, trust that the God of love will answer in whatever way is best for you.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, give me the faith to trust you completely. Give me a spirit of persistent prayer that knows you will do whatever is best for me. Amen.