Don't leave God
“Then He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.’”
Gen 32:28
Jacob’s encounter with God at Peniel is one of the most powerful pictures of persistent prayer. All night, Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord and refused to let go until he received a blessing. This was not a casual prayer — it was a desperate, determined pursuit of God’s favor.
When Jacob said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me,” he revealed the kind of persistence that touches the heart of God. Jacob didn't leave God, until He blessed Him.
He wasn’t wrestling to overcome God’s will but to align himself with it. His perseverance showed faith — a faith that would not quit, a faith that believed God’s blessing was worth the struggle.
God saw that determination and rewarded it by changing Jacob’s name to Israel — meaning “one who prevails with God.” That moment transformed Jacob’s identity, his destiny, and his relationship with the Lord.
Persistent prayer does the same in our lives. It refines our faith, changes our hearts, and draws us closer to God. When we continue to pray even when answers delay, we show God that we trust Him more than our circumstances.
So don’t give up when the answer seems far. Keep holding on to God in prayer — not just until you get what you want, but until His presence changes you. The God who touched Jacob’s heart and renamed him Israel will also honor your persistence and cause you to prevail.
Prayer:
Lord, teach me to persist in prayer and not give up. Strengthen me to hold on to You until Your blessing and will are fulfilled in my life. Transform me through every moment of waiting, that I may prevail in Your presence. Amen.
When Jacob said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me,” he revealed the kind of persistence that touches the heart of God. Jacob didn't leave God, until He blessed Him.
He wasn’t wrestling to overcome God’s will but to align himself with it. His perseverance showed faith — a faith that would not quit, a faith that believed God’s blessing was worth the struggle.
God saw that determination and rewarded it by changing Jacob’s name to Israel — meaning “one who prevails with God.” That moment transformed Jacob’s identity, his destiny, and his relationship with the Lord.
Persistent prayer does the same in our lives. It refines our faith, changes our hearts, and draws us closer to God. When we continue to pray even when answers delay, we show God that we trust Him more than our circumstances.
So don’t give up when the answer seems far. Keep holding on to God in prayer — not just until you get what you want, but until His presence changes you. The God who touched Jacob’s heart and renamed him Israel will also honor your persistence and cause you to prevail.
Prayer:
Lord, teach me to persist in prayer and not give up. Strengthen me to hold on to You until Your blessing and will are fulfilled in my life. Transform me through every moment of waiting, that I may prevail in Your presence. Amen.