Don't Let Go

And Jacob was left alone, and a Man wrestled with him until daybreak. And when [the Man] saw that He did not prevail against [Jacob], He touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob’s thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him. Then He said, Let Me go, for day is breaking. But [Jacob] said, I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing upon me. (Gen. 32:24-26).

I just want to encourage all who will read this to be encouraged and continue in prayer. Even as I sit and meditate on these scriptures today, I am encouraged to prevail in prayer. All of our battles are won on our knees in prayer. No matter the situation we are to pray because it is our lifeline to God. We see in this scripture Jacob wrestled with the Angel of God all night. He refused to let the Angel go until He blessed Him. He refused to stop wrestling despite of the agony and pain. The bible says, “…men ought to always pray and not faint” (Luke 18:1). There is a tendency to faint in prayer when we don’t see the results right away. We think our prayers are not being heard but the bible declares, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the [uncompromisingly] righteous and His ears are open to their cry” (Psalm 34:15).

            I just want to share with you some notes from The Matthew Henry Commentary to inspire you. It says, “However tried or discouraged, we shall prevail; and prevailing with Him in prayer, we shall prevail against all enemies that strive with us. Nothing requires more vigor and unceasing exertion than wrestling. It is an emblem of the true spirit of faith and prayer. Jacob kept his ground; though the struggle continued long, this did not shake his faith, nor silence his prayer. He will have a blessing, and had rather have all his bones put out of joint than go away without one. Those who would have the blessing of Christ, must resolve to take no denial. The fervent prayer is the effectual prayer.”

          The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). If you have to lose some sleep to seek God’s Face in prayer all night, then so be it! Maybe you have to pray on your lunch break or in the car. Do what you must to pray. He will hear and answer. Don’t let go until you get an answer. Be relentless in prayer and like Jacob declare, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

Blessings