I got this this morning in my daily devotional emails and was blown away by the message. How hard are we willing to fight for a blessing from God? Definitely a lesson to be learned From Jacob
Genesis 32: 24-29
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 humans and have overcome."
Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. (NIV)
Jacob's struggle with God was real; it wasn't a dream. The intensity lasted till dawn without the angel getting away. Don't you think 5 to 10 minutes of this kind of battle would be enough? Jacob so wanted God to bless him, that he would not release him until He did.
Our struggles are sometimes harder than we like and last longer than we like. To see wanted changes in our spiritual, physical, and emotional life, we are going to have to engage the Lord.
"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One Who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission," Hebrews 5:7 (NIV). In Luke it says that drops of blood came from Jesus' forehead when He prayed in the garden the night before His crucifixion.
What describes your relationship with God? Dare I say we take our lead from Jacob and Jesus Christ our Lord!!!
