Suggested Reading: Genesis 32:22–32
Key Verse: “I will not let You go unless You bless me.” (Genesis 32:26b, CSB)
Story Summary:
Jacob wrestled with a mysterious man through the night, refusing to let go until he received a blessing. This encounter left him with a limp but also a new name—Israel.
Reflection:
Sometimes God allows the struggle to change us before He changes our situation. The blessing is often found in the persistence to hold on to Him.
I remember my own night of wrestling. For five days, I fasted and wept, begging God to save my marriage. On the last day, He showed me Jesus in Gethsemane, I saw the swear like blood running down his face and I heard the silence. I knew my answer, I was released.
That day, I anointed my home and prayed for my husband. In my heart, I knew I was still in covenant and carried spiritual authority, so I prayed boldly: “Lord, don’t let him rest until he is right with You.” For the first time, I wasn’t praying for him because it affected me. My only concern was his soul.
God heard my prayer. He answered—not quickly, and not without pain—but faithfully. Looking back, I see how He had been preparing me long before that moment. My journals were filled with Scriptures about God fighting for me. I remembered how He had prompted me to give generously, even to strangers in a store. I didn’t realize it then, but He was causing me to sow seeds that I would reap in my own season of need. And when the time came, He provided for me supernaturally—sustaining me for more than a year.
The most surprising part? God gave me the strength to mentor the very woman my husband left me for. He even allowed me to walk alongside my husband for a time, pointing him back to truth. And when the moment came to let go for my own healing, He gave me the grace to do it.
The experience was painful, but it also made me more resilient.
🙌🏼 The wrestle may leave you with a wound, but it will also strengthen you.
Reflection Questions:
1. What are you wrestling with God about right now?
2. How can you stay close to Him even in the struggle?
3. What old identity might He be replacing with a new one?
Prayer:
Father God, help me hold on to You in the wrestling. Change me through the struggle and bless me with a deeper intimacy with You. In Jesus’ Precious and Holy Name, Amen.
Even if… I walk with a limp, I will praise the Lord.
Even If… it isn’t what I wanted, I will trust God’s provision and be thankful.
Write and Declare Yours
✍🏼 Even if… ___________________________
Confirmation Scriptures:
📖 Hosea 12:3–4 (NIV) – “…he struggled with God. He struggled with the angel and overcame him…”
📖 Philippians 3:12 (CSB) – “…I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.”
📖 James 1:4 (NIV) – “…let perseverance finish its work…”
📖 Isaiah 62:6–7 (CSB) – “…you who remind the LORD, no rest for you! Do not give him rest…”