Genesis 32:24-28 ( ESV )
24And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the
breaking of the day.
25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched
his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with
him.
26Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said,
“I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said,
“Jacob.”
28Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but
Israel,£ for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
1.
Alone-When we really want to spend time with God
in prayer our best times will always be when we are alone with him. When we
break away from the noise of just life. When we seek not the company of others
but seek to see his face alone. These are the times when we truly will find
Him. We must escape from the noise of this world.
2.
Jesus example: Matthew 14:23 and Mark 6:47 Before his
disciples would struggle in the sea, Lk. 9:18 Praying alone before he ask who
do the people say that I am? Finally in the Garden when His disciples would go
to sleep while he prayed away from them in Matthew 26:36-46.
3.
This man who wrestled with him all night long
was no one other than the pre-incarnate Christ. We know this from verses 39-40.
As he states how he had seen God face to face. A few points need to be brought
up here.
a.
Just as Jacob’s life was a struggle so will our
prayer life. Our prayer life is work. Prayer involves struggle on so many
levels. We need to be rid of the noise around us to get alone with God. When we
pray we are fighting in the realms of spiritual warfare. We will struggle with
being too tired to pray. We will struggle as our desires become conformed to
His desires and what He knows is best for our lives. We will struggle with the
issue of belief such as will He really answer that prayer. We will struggle
with is it our needs or is it just our greed?
b.
Prayer is not only a struggle but prayer is
often about endurance. The Bible tells us that Jacob wrestled with God all
night long into the breaking of dawn.
Have you ever spent the night
alone with Him in prayer? His desires become your desires. You struggle with
seeing things through His eyes. Yet, when you do what a glorious thought this
is. You also at times will have to come back to Him with that same prayer
constantly. It might not be answered overnight it might take years or the
answer you want may not come at all. Yet we are to be persistent in our prayers
never giving up until He blesses. (Sometimes that blessing might come with a
drastic cost. Like a hip that is taken out of joint.) We must learn to be
persistent in our prayers.
Examples of Persistent Prayer.
1.
Luke 18:1-8 The parable of the persistent widow
and the judge.
2.
Matthew 7:7 and Luke 11:9 Ask, Search and Knock
3.
I Thess. 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”
c.
Prayer will cause a change not only for others
whom you pray for but also will be a blessing as it changes you. No longer did
God want to be known as the Heel Catcher or the Deceiver but rather God wanted
him to be called Israel for out of him the tribes of Israel would be brought
forth. In the same way God wants us to be praying men and it will change our
lives forever. Go forth in prayer and His blessings will come down.
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