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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.”

God doesn’t always give us what we want, at least not right away. Have you noticed this? We pray and pray and pray for something, but there seems to be no answer. Sometimes we become discouraged or angry with God for 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 could 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 of demonstrating that we trust he will do what’s best for us, in his own time and in his own way.

We may never 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 God for his blessings. Then, trust that the God of love will answer in whatever way is best for you.

Heavenly Father, give me the faith to trust you completely. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.