The Burning Altar - 14 Days of Calling the Church to Prayნიმუში

Wrestling With God Until the Blessing Comes

“The harder we wrestle in prayer, the more we prevail with God.”- E.M. Bounds

There are moments in our spiritual journey when casual prayers are not enough. There comes a time when breakthrough requires more than a whisper—it demands wrestling with God in relentless prayer until the blessing is released.

Jacob’s encounter at the Jabbok River was not comfortable. It was a night of struggle, pain, and persistence. Yet it was also the night of transformation. In the wrestling, Jacob’s old identity as a deceiver was broken, and a new name—Israel—was given to him. The blessing did not come cheaply; it came through a desperate determination that said, “I will not let You go until You bless me.”

Prayer, at times, is wrestling. It is the struggle of faith against doubt, the fight of perseverance against delay, the pressing in against weariness. But it is in this holy struggle that we are changed. We may walk away limping, like Jacob, but we will walk away transformed, carrying the blessing of God.

Keep in mind that blessings often come on the other side of persistence. Breakthroughs are birthed when we refuse to let go in the night of testing. God does not despise our wrestling; He uses it to refine us, to strip us of self-reliance, and to anchor us in His promises.

What blessing are you wrestling for? What breakthrough requires your persistence? Do not give up. Keep wrestling. Keep praying. Hold fast to the promise of God until the dawn breaks and the blessing is released.

Prayer

Father God, teach me to wrestle in prayer until the blessing comes. Strengthen my faith to hold on when it feels easier to let go. Break off in me everything that hinders Your work, and transform me in the struggle. I will not let go until You bless me, until Your purpose is fulfilled, and until Your glory is revealed in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reflection Questions

1. What areas of my life require persistent prayer and spiritual wrestling?
2. Am I willing to endure the struggle and discomfort if it means receiving transformation and blessing?
3. How has God already changed me through seasons of wrestling in prayer?