Persevering Prayer Prevails

I will not let you go unless you bless me. (Gen. 32:26)

Gen. 32:22-32, 32:9-12, and 27:30-41; Deut. 9:18; Lk. 11:8, 18:1-7; Acts 12:5; James 5:16

What Is God Saying?

Jacob was nervous for good reason. He escaped from Laban after their long years of cheating each other. There was an irate father-in-law behind him and an embittered brother before him. He knew Esau had been waiting to make good his threat to kill him (Gen. 27:41). Jacob's position was precarious at best. The trip to Edom was agony. Jacob had cheated Esau out of his most precious possessions, his birthright (Gen. 25:33) and their father Isaac's blessing (27:27-29). After twenty years would Esau still be angry? Jacob sent messengers ahead to appease Esau with presents. The messengers returned from Edom with the news that Esau was on his way to meet him with four hundred men. To Jacob that sounded like overkill.

Decision time-pray or run! Jacob was backed against a wall. God promised to do him good (Gen 32:12). Now, would he trust the God of his fathers or fear the wrath of his brother? He made the choice. He wrestled in prayer with a man/angel through a long and sleepless night. He persevered until dawn and would not let the stranger leave until he received a blessing. He became a new man with a new name and new courage to face the future. He called the place Peniel, the Face of God, and he was called Israel, One who has power with God, or You have been strong with God, you shall prevail with men.

How Does This Apply To Us?

Praying to God is staying with God through lonely nights and pressure-filled days, when life is pleasant and easy or when the road is tough and we are afraid of what lies around the bend. The Bible never glosses over the flaws of God's people. Jacob was a clever, scheming, and devious cheat. He was the kind of person when, if you had occasion to shake his hand, you would have reason to count your fingers, but we have all sinned. In the end, God hears the prayer of the penitent and the fearful. Have we had the Jacob to Israel experience? Have we been changed from an ambiti0us deceiver or a _______ (you fill in the blank) to one who persistently clings to God?

Pray With Me

Lord, Jacob would not let You go until the blessing was given. I am coming to see that if I want that kind of result, I must have that kind of resolve. To pray with You is to stay with You. If I want Your blessing, I must be willing to wait. Sometimes I doubt. Sometimes I offer prayer as if I think there is little that prayer can do anyway. Sometimes, I leave times of prayer as if eager to get on with the more practical concerns of life.

Give me something of Jacob's boldness and tenacity. Let me strain in prayer until there is rest and calm. Let me set the value of Your blessing. Jacob was determined to hold onto You until the blessing came. Teach me also to know the blessing of Your hold on me. Then even while I say to You, ‘I will not let you go except you bless me,’ You will speak to me in wonderful reassurance, ‘I will not let you go until I have given the blessing.’

In Jesus' name, through whose prevailing prayer the redemption of man became reality. Amen.

Moving On In The Life of Prayer

Prayer can become and often is a wrestling match. But it is not our hold on God that counts in the end. It is His hold on us. Wrestling is all about holds. Hold on to God, but trust and be thankful that His hold on us is strong. Persevering prayer prevails. We need never let go of God without a blessing. Wrestling with God develops strength for living. God loves us too much to let us off easy ... or without a blessing.