Prayer Works Morning Devotion: August 13, 2025

Thus Says The Lord-Who God Says He Is, His Commandments and Promises

Genesis 32:22 -31 "Your Name Will No Longer Be Called Jacob But Israel; Because You Have Struggled With God And Men And Prevailed "

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Good morning, beloved Prayer Works Family. I thank God for you. I thank God that he has called us together for such a time as this that we can stand shoulder to shoulder, hand to hand, voice to voice, just heart to heart. 

Just praising him and seeking him every morning and we just are so thankful to be a part of this Kingdom family, this most precious Kingdom family. Let's begin with prayer. Heavenly Father, we just thank you, Lord.  

Thank you, Father God, that you are in our lives. Thank you, Father God, that each morning we get up to convene together, to commune together to join our hearts together, to open our minds together.  

To just seek a seed Heavenly Father for which we can feed from this day. So I thank you, Lord, for this Kingdom family. I thank you for your word and I thank you that your promises are true. That as we seek you with all our hearts, we will surely find you.  

So help us to find you today Heavenly Father and be reminded of just how good and wonderful you are and we pray this in Jesus name, Amen. Family this morning the theme of this devotion this morning is wrestling with God.  

And as Calvin mentioned yesterday, we are looking at various scriptures in which God has spoken directly to someone in the Bible, and we're going to be actually in this theme for quite some time. 

Because even if you go online and you look up one of these digital Bibles or even in your own Bible, in your concordance or whatever you're using. Then look up versus that start with thus says the Lord. 

Or even verses in scriptures in which God is speaking. God has always been speaking and he is still speaking today. And if today you feel like you know what I don't hear from God, I don't hear God.  

Don't worry. Go to his word, go to his word and as you study his word, you will come to understand who he is, what he has said, what his character is, what his promises are. So therefore, when you hear anybody say something that doesn't seem quite right.  

You will know, you will know because you have studied and you have sought to hear the voice of the Lord and he will surely give you ears to hear. So this morning we're talking about wrestling with God.  

Yesterday, Calvin talked about Jacob and how he had a vision of God seeing God and God giving him promises. Yes, I'm going to give you all of this. I'm going to fulfill the promises that I gave to your grandfather Abraham is going to be fulfilled in your life.  

So now we're pick in Genesis 32:22-31. So before I read that, let me just give you a little bit of back story. So a few facts about Jacob, as I said, he's a grandson of Abraham. He's the youngest son of Isaac and Rebecca, and he has a twin brother, Esau.  

So his name Jacob means supplanter and deceiver, and he spent a great chunk of his life deceiving and also being deceived. So this chapter that we're looking at Genesis 3: 22-31.  

He's on the run, he's on the run from his father-in-law, who he's met his match in as far as being a deceiver. So his father in law's name is Laban, and he has been in Laban's house for 20 years, and fourteen of those years he served in exchange for leaving two daughters, Leah and Rachel, and six of those years were for livestock.  

And during that time Laban changed Jacob's wages 10 times. So Jacob came to Laban and he had absolutely nothing, nothing. He had absolutely nothing. But here he is in this scene he has prospered and Laban even realizes that God has blessed him because of Jacob.  

So Laban recognizes this, but nevertheless, Laban and his sons began to greatly resent Jacob because they saw how much he was prospering, and how Laban seemed to be getting the short end of the stick.  

So they were Laban was beginning to look with an evil eye on Jacob. So Jacob heard this and he realized this and he got a word from God ok, it's time to go. Now it's time to go back home.  

So Jacob is on the run. He's got all of his wives. So again, as I said, he came with nothing to his father-in-law, but now he's leaving a very rich man. He has two wives, 11 children. He has large flocks of goats and sheep.  

He has female and male servants. He has camels, he has donkeys. But most importantly, he is leaving with the God of his father and he knows this. So nevertheless he's on the run, he ventures Laban and catches up with him in the desert and he says, why are you running and you're taking all of my things, my children, my all of this is mine.  

Everything you have is mine. But God had told Laban, if you lay one hand on Jacob you're it's not going to go well for you at all, so Laban knows he cannot touch Jacob. So the two of them make a covenant to not go to war with each other, and they would not.  

Their paths are not going to cross ever again. So that's one battle down. Now Jacob is about to face another unknown, which is his brother Esau. So God has told Jacob go back to your homeland.  

But Jacob knows his brother Esau hates him and has vowed to kill him because he and Jacob, through trickery, got the blessing that his older brother should have gotten from Isaac, so he knows that I'm going back home and my brother hates me and he is thinking of different ways to try to protect his family.  

Divided them into two camps and he's like, ok, well, you do, you can't go 1st and then then we'll separate. And then if Esau catches up with one camp, you know, maybe the other camp can survive, but he's got he's still devising all kinds of trickery, but and he's he sent his servants ahead with all kinds of gifts for Esau to try to soften up.  

You know, Jacob is still devising schemes, you know, trying to get out of trouble. And then at some point, as he's traveling back to his home land, he sent his family on ahead. All of his, hers and everything.  

And he's alone in the desert. It's just him, you know, picture the scene. He is by himself in the desert, facing possible death and destruction of his entire family. So he cries out. He's like, oh God.  

This is what the scripture records it says, oh God, how many of us have said, oh, God, how many of us may even be saying this right now? Oh God. Now you know when you start a prayer with that.  

Oh God, you know you are feeling it and calling it up from the very depth and root of your soul. Oh God because you know you no longer can rely on your own devices, your own strength, your own cleverness.  

Oh God. So Jacob says, oh God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord, who said to me, return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you. So he's heard this from God, he's heard the promise.  

I will deal well with you, but he's still crying out. Oh, God. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which you have shown your servant. So he's become a more humble, humbler person.  

You're beginning to see some changes in him. And he's seeing he's not worthy of all the mercies that God has shown him, and he's crossed over the Jordan because he had to cross over the Jordan to get back to his homeland.  

And he says I now have become two companies. So deliver me, deliver me I pray from the hand of my brother. Because he just can't understand how can God tell him to go back and tell him that all is going to be well with him when he knows his brother hates him and he's out to kill him?  

He's like, deliver me from the hand of my brother. From the hand of Esau for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. For you say he's telling God, I will surely treat you well and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.  

So he's heard the promise of God. He knows what God has said. He's repeating it back to him. Nevertheless, he's crying out. Oh God, because he just can't see how in the world is this going to be possible?  

So now we get to our focus, scripture, Jacob, is left alone and this I have to admit, this scripture was probably one of one of the most confusing ones I found. I just didn't understand it.  

So let me read it to you. Jacob was left alone and a man and this Man capitalized. And if this Man is representing God, God come came down in flesh. A man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. God wrestled with Jacob until the breaking of day, and isn’t that how it feels like sometimes, that it's just us and we're wrestling with God.  

Oh, God and we're wrestling with him. So when we think of wrestling in the Bible. It means both a physical struggle and a spiritual struggle. So wrestling is really a metaphor for the spiritual battles believers face.  

So Jacob is wrestling with God and continue on, now when he God saw that God did not prevail against him. He touched the socket of his hip and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as he wrestled with him.  

So just imagine that he is wrestling and I heard a pastor describe the wrestling as do you. I mean, come on, you're not wrestling with God pinning him down. You're not, you know, this is not that type of wrestling.  

The most Jacob could do is hold on. So I heard her preacher say Jacob. Imagine he's holding on, he's holding on. Imagine you're you have an opponent and his opponent is stronger than you. He's bigger than you and all you can do is hold on for dear life. 

If you can picture, that's what Jacob's doing. He's holding on to God for dear life and he's his hip is out of joint, but he's still holding on and God said let me go for the day breaks. Let me go for the day breaks. But Jacob said I will not let you go unless you bless me.  

So Jacob knew, he recognized who he was dealing with. He recognized that he was dealing with God. I won't let you go unless you bless me with a word for us for us, we will not let you go Oh, God until you bless us.  

So God said to him, what is your name? God knew what his name was but you know, hear Jacob's answer. So Jacob said, Jacob and God said your name shall no longer be called Jacob. In other words, you will no longer be known as supplanter and deceiver.  

But God gave him a new name, Israel. For you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed of God renames Jacob. What mean has God-given you today? He's renamed you as a believer in Christ, you have a new name.  

So God remained Jacob, Israel, and we think about the word prevail in the Bible, it means the act of overcoming, conquering or achieving victory. It signifies strength, endurance and the ultimate triumph of God's will and purposes. To prevail means you are right in the center of God's will. 

You have overcome, you have achieved the victory you have endured. So this passage highlights the transformative power of prevailing through perseverance and divine encounter. So I'll finish with the last couple of verses, then Jacob asked, saying. Tell me your name I pray magic.  

Tell me your name. God asks what's your name? So Jacob says Jacob and God says, well, your name is not that any longer, it's now Israel. And Jacob says, well, what's your name? As if he could understand and Jacob said. 

And God said why is it that you ask about my name? You know why? Why was he asking about the name of the person as if the name of God could be on the same level as Jacob's name, but anyway nevertheless God blessed him there in the in the scene of the struggle and the wrestling, God blessed him there. 

So Jacob called, the name of the place Peniel. For I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved. Your life is preserved. You're here on this line right now listening, you woke up this morning, your life is preserved.  

God has blessed you and just as he crossed over, unwell, the Sun rose on him and he limped on his hip. So just picture that God has blessed him, the son has risen on him, but here he is left with a limp.  

Which leads me to the question, what can happen when we wrestle with God? When we wrestle with God, like Jacob, we are changed, we are transformed. We gain a new identity. Jacob's wrestling with God is a message for us that great perseverance and determination are required in spiritual struggles.  

And the blessings that can result from such encounters. As Jesus said we will struggle in this life. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, and sometimes we find ourselves wrestling against God.  

But God's not afraid to wrestle with us. He's not afraid. Bring it on because on the other side of this struggle we may end up with a limp or some other scars that may be visible or invisible, but our limps, our scars, our thorns, our reminders of what we have prevailed against, and the price we were willing to pay to be blessed by God.  

On the other side of our struggle with God, we walk away humbled and with a much deeper understanding of who God is and how much we need him. The struggle makes our roots grow deeper and our fruit sweeter and more abundant.  

Now I don't know to what extent each of you may be struggling with God today, or in what blessings you're pleading with God for. I do know thus says the Lord. Don't give up in the midst of the struggle.  

We can't understand, but we must trust that God has a purpose and a plan. Our struggles become part of our testimony and I'll conclude with as it's written in the Book of Revelation 12:10.  

Now salvation and strength and the Kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ hath come. For the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God day and night has been cast down.  

Satan has been cast down. And in the end they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. Whatever you're struggling with and crying out to God for today. 

By faith you will prevail. Don't stop praying, don't stop asking, don't stop believing, don't stop remembering and testifying of the goodness of God and by the blood of the lamb and the power of your testimony you will overcome. Let us pray.  

Oh, God, oh God I am crying out to you on behalf of my brothers and sisters in Christ, who may feel they have no more words, who may feel that they've reached the end of their praying time, who may feel that they're just not hearing from you, who may have received an inkling of the blessing.  

But have lost sight of it because of the struggle. I'm crying out to you, Oh God on their behalf. Reveal yourself, Lord. Speak to their heart, fill them with a fresh filling of your Holy Spirit Oh God. 

Because as your word says, it is only through the blood of the lamb and our faith and confidence and belief and trust that we are covered by the blood of the lamb because we believe in Jesus Christ as your son, as our Messiah as the Christ.  

It is only by this that we are saved and it is only by the power of your indwelling Holy Spirit that we are overcomers. So I pray, Heavenly Father that you will give us eyes to see and ears to hear you more clearly.  

Give us a fresh feeling of your Holy Spirit, Heavenly Father, that we will not be deceived. We will not be discouraged, but that we will be strengthened Heavenly Father. Send your word to us, Heavenly Father.  

Bring help, bring encouragement, bring exhortation, bring whatever we need Heavenly Father so that our roots will grow deeper in you. I thank your Heavenly Father that you have brought together this faithful family that seeks you every morning.  

I pray that you will bless each and everyone today. Bless their children, bless their families, bless all who are connected with them, Heavenly Father, for their sake, Heavenly Father. And I thank you, Heavenly Father, that we can trust in your word.  

Your word is the beginning, it is the end and on it we stand. Strengthen our armor this day, Heavenly Father. Help us to fend off the fiery darts of the enemy and help us to remember and recall when we're tempted to doubt and be anxious.  

Help us to remember and recall your goodness in our lives and how you have transformed us and are continuing to transform us every day. We love you, mighty God. We just praise you and we say, oh God, we will not fear.  

Though the earth be shaking though, all around us, people seem to be losing their minds. We will not be shaken, we will not be moved. We stand firm in your word, thanking you for this fellowship of faith. Thanking you for this new day.  

We love you, we praise you, we give you all glory and honor in Jesus name, Amen. Amen family, go with God. Know that we do love you and we know that God is blessing you this day, walk in his blessings and his peace. We love you, have a great day.