Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

The Holy Spirit is telling me not all struggles are bad, indeed sometimes we need to struggle for our blessings.

In Today’s scripture, Genesis 32:24-28 (NLT), we read…
[24] This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. [25] When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. [26] Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” [27] “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.” [28] “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

Consider…
Today’s scripture and song are the familiar story of Jacob wrestling with God for a blessing. Although the main idea of today’s post is that sometimes we may need to struggle our way to God’s blessing, there are some additional lessons we can learn the testimonies of overcomes.

For example, Jacob prioritized and pursued God’s favor. Remember, Jacob tricked a famished Esau for his birthright God’s Blessing. (Genesis 25.29-34)

I find it interesting that it’s Esau that was judged for selling his birthright, rather than Jacob for tricking him. Hebrews 12:16-17 (NLT) attests…
[16] Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. [17] You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.

When I read this passage, the Holy Spirit immediately reminded me of Matthew 6:33 (NLT), where Jesus exhorts…
[33] Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Jacob’s seeking Esau’s birthright shows us we must always prioritize, and pursue, God’s eternal favor over temporary satisfaction.

Colossians 3:2-3 (NIV) emphasizes…
[2] Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. [3] For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

In addition to learning Jacob prioritizing God’s favor over his life, we learned the importance of perseverance. Recall, Jacob’s tricks for God’s treat continued with him conspiring with his mother to trick his blind and dying father to speak the firstborn’s rightful blessing over him (Read Genesis 27).

The Holy Spirit showed me something that I hadn’t seen before, Isaac blessed the son he believed to be Esau. You see Jacob didn’t receive his Father’s blessing because of who he was, but who his daddy believed he was based on being clothed like his brother. This understanding was fortified with Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV), which says…
[26] So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, [27] for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Now I am not saying we can trick God for His blessing, but I am saying that like Jacob we must look like our big brother Jesus to inherit what God has for us.

Speaking of inheriting God’s promise, the Holy Spirit showed me that everything that happened with Jacob was within God’s plan. Recall, Genesis 25:21-26 (NIV) detailed…
[21] Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. [22] The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. [23] The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” [24] When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. [25] The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. [26] After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

Don’t miss the point that verse 23 says “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

Jacob having the traditional firstborn’s birthright blessing was pre-ordained by God from birth. It’s the same way Ephesians 1:4-6 (NLT) explains
[4] Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. [5] God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. [6] So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

Jacob didn’t change God’s will, he pursued it.

It’s with the background of Jacob prioritizing God’s blessing and persevering to receive it, that we read today’s scripture. The Lord showed me that we must prevail in our struggle to receive God’s blessing. Notice verse 28 says…
“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

If you want to be blessed by God, you must…

• Prioritize God’s will
• Pursue God’s favor
• Persevere by faith
• Prevail in the end

I was given James 1:2-4 (NIV) as support for this lesson…
[2] Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. [4] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Notice, the testing/struggle of our faith produces perseverance. And that perseverance must finish, which means we must prevail by persevering until the end.

The visual that comes to mind as an illustration is a marathon runner he struggled for 25.9 miles, but falls out before the finish line. Because he/she didn’t finish the race, there’s no official time recorded for them.

As I wrote that, the Holy Spirit showed me Jesus speaking to believers like those in the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:3-7 (NIV)…
[3] You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. [4] Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. [5] Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. [6] But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. [7] Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Notice, while Jesus acknowledged perseverance, He indicted the failure to prevail.

That recognition pressed play on Milton Brunson’s choir singing…

The race is not given, to the swift nor to the strong,
But to the one that endures, until the end,
They’ll be problems,
And sometimes you walk alone, but I know, that I know that I know,
It will work out, yes it will for the good of them
Choir: For the good of them,
Lead: For the good of them.
Choir: For the good, of them
Lead: Who loves, the, Lord

The Holy Spirit just showed me that prevailing is persevering through the end.

So the next time you pray for God to bless you, remember Jacob and…

• Prioritize God’s will…Psalms 37:4-5 (NLT)…[4] Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. [5] Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.
• Pursue God’s favor, not a favor…Luke 12:31 NLT…[31] Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.
• Persevere to receive what God promised…Hebrews 10:36 (NIV)…[36] You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
• Prevail, by persevering through the end…2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)…[7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. [8] Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Sometimes you have to struggle to what God has promised for you.

Today’s song is…
Jacob’s Song

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)