Losing to God

So back to the weirdest wrestling match of the ages –

Jacob and this angel or man of God have wrestled all night long.  Jacob has refused to let go, although any rudimentary knowledge of God is going to tell him that he can’t win.  And he doesn’t.  But the passage asserts that the angel “could not overpower him.”  So even though Jacob can’t win, he doesn’t give up.  He holds onto God, waiting for a blessing.

So I ask myself:  do I do this?  Do I hold onto God, waiting for the blessing, even if I know I can’t win?  I would substitute “get my own way” for “win” here, because the issue revolves around who is in charge.  Of course Jacob can’t overpower God because God is almighty and sovereign.  So Jacob can’t call the shots and decide the match.  If I know I’m not going to get what I want, will I still hang on and get the blessing from God?

So here’s the second lesson I gained from Beth Moore’s The Quest:  “if God is the opponent in that match, He’s always going to win, and . . . we’re always going to be glad.  Not once will we lose a wrestling match to God that leaves us a loser.”  I immediately recognize that thought to be true, but I have never looked at it from a position of faith like she is viewing it.  With God, I can’t lose even if he doesn’t let me win.  I know he’s going to do the best thing for me, even if it’s something I can’t see or understand yet.  

So what have we got to lose from hounding God and begging him for his blessing or for something we want?  Nothing.  If he chooses not to give us our request, we still win.  We still get the blessing.  I have amped up my request list to God.  It includes spiritual blessings, relational requests, material wants, vocational/ministry desires, global and church issues, and attitude changes on my part.  I wrote it all out, and my goal is to pray it 3 times a day. Maybe he will grant some of these prayers, but regardless, I know I will receive a blessing from wrestling with him in prayer.