Wrestling With God

Wrestling With God

In Genesis 32:23-31 we read about Jacob’s struggle with God. After Jacob had taken his entire family over the brook and was left alone, a Man came and wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Jacob, who knew that Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men, was afraid of what would happen to him and his possessions. Therefore he was expecting comfort and help from God who had told him that He would treat him well and that He would make his descendants like the sand of the sea. And least of all did he expect to struggle with God or His angel; on the contrary, he expected to struggle with Esau when he met him. But the Man laid hold of him without asking whether it suited him, and if He had asked him, Jacob would in all likelihood have begged Him to let him go.

Our ways are not the Lord’s ways, and our thoughts are not the Lord’s thoughts. Jacob discovered the truth of this fact that night, but at the same time he understood the good effect the struggle had on him inwardly, and when the Man asked him to let Him go, he would not. What did the Man want? He wanted to make a broken man out of him. That was part of his salvation, so he could meet Esau with humility. Jacob sensed that he had drawn closer to God. This gave him hope and faith, and he prayed to be blessed. The struggle resulted in Jacob being weak in himself and strong in the Lord.

Arrogance has deep roots in man, and you need to struggle with God to uproot it. Jacob endured such a process of salvation that night, and “just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him and he limped on his hip.” V. 31. It is easy to understand that the sun shone on him at that point, for then he was strengthened for the things that awaited him.

In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus related a parable about always praying and never growing tired. A widow sought help from a judge in the city in order to seek protection from her opponent. But the judge “would not for a long while.” V. 4. Jesus wants to teach us to be persistent in faith and patience and continue in prayer until we receive what we are praying for. The judge would not for a while, but the widow’s persistence brought the desired result. We must be fully assured of God’s goodness and kindheartedness to give us what we are asking for. It is a complete misunderstanding to think that Jesus is reluctant to give us what we pray for, for He says in the parable: Is he slow to help them though he bears long with them? “I tell you that He will be quick to protect them.” V. 8. But we must not think that this statement in the parable is thereby taken away: “And he would not for a while . . . .” What does Jesus want to teach us here? It is that we must not focus on the waiting time and be discouraged from praying. For He uses this time of waiting in His work with us, and when that has come to an end He is quick to give us what we are praying for. We read about the woman in Matthew 15:22-28 whom Jesus turned away outright, even twice, but she did not give up! “She came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’ But He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.’ And she said, ‘True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

Why did Jesus turn her away? Was it because He did not want to listen to her? Of course not! He proved that by the end result. Through this battle of faith He wanted to give her something greater than just healing for her daughter. And the faith in her heart gave her strength to endure in her struggle with the Lord until she received what she desired.

Such a prayer battle with God drains us of some of our hidden natural inheritance from our parents, and step by step we come closer to God and to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Bridegroom. We become God’s fellow workers in that great concluding salvation. This is where this part of the hymn fits in: “I will with the women from Canaan’s land, call out to You and not be still; for You at the end of my prayer will say ‘Amen, yes, Amen.’ Be it done to me as You will.’”