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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A Lesson Learned
If we don't get our blessings God's way, our blessings will haunt us. We may think we are blessed right
now but if our blessing is not God-approved, our blessing will haunt us. Father Isaac said to Jacob, "I know
you tricked me, but I'm still going to bless you." Isaac could have changed his mind when he found out that
Jacob had tricked him, but he blessed him anyway. But it does no good for our earthly daddy to bless us if
God doesn't bless us. Our mother might leave us the family house, but we need God's blessing on it. Our
daddy may leave us the family estate, but we need God's blessing on it. Our daddy may leave us his Mercedes
or his new Town Car in his will, but if God hasn't blessed it then it's going to haunt us. We need God's
blessings on everything. If our blessings are not God-approved, they will haunt us or we will eventually lose
them. "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it" (Proverbs 10:22 — KJV).
A Wrestling Match
Jacob was left alone and he wrestled with a man until the break of day. He wrestled with him at night. We
don't know whether we're reading about a vision or dream or an actuality, but we do know that it was night
and many things happen at night. God works at night. Jacob was prevailing in the wrestling match. Jacob was
wrestling with God and for a while seems to have been winning.
In my imagination, I believe Jacob had God in a full Nelson. God didn't hit Jacob. God just touched his
thigh. Jacob went, "Oowww." It looks like Jacob was winning the battle, and God just touched his thigh. But
even with his thigh out of joint, Jacob was still holding on. He knew for sure by now that his arms were too
short to box with God. He knew that the only way, the only reason he was prevailing was by the grace of
God. He knew that God had just let him win for a while.
Jacob had come to the point where he realized he couldn't win over God, but he still held on. And Jacob
told God, "I'm going to hold on. You've knocked my thigh out of joint. There's no telling what you might do
to me next. I know I'm not winning this thing, but I'm going to hold on. My thigh is out. I'm hurting. I have
pain shooting up in my cranial nerve. My eyes look like they're going to blink out. I feel like I'm going to
have a heart attack, but I'm going to hold on. I'm going to hold on until my change comes."
God looked at Jacob and said, "What's your name?" Jacob answered, "My name is Jacob, which means sup-
planter. I've been a liar and a trickster all my life." God said, "Your name is no longer Jacob. Your name now
is Israel, which means that you have prevailed with God and with man, and I'm going to bless you right here."
Jacob named the place Peniel, which means that he had come face to face with God. Jacob left that scene with
a limp when the sun came up.
Are we struggling with God? Jacob held on until the sun came out, until the break of day. Break of day
may be right around the corner. We must hold on for our blessing. We must hold on through the nighttime.
Nighttime may be long. Nighttime may be one big midnight after another. But we must hold on until the sun
comes up because scripture declares that "weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the
morning" (Psalm 30:5 — KJV).
Detachment
Why aren't we blessed? The answer is, "Because of detachment." We have a problem with not being
attached. We're not holding on because we have cut ourselves off from the blessing. We have cut ourselves
off from the blessing giver. If you abide in God. If you'll hold on to God and His Word holds on to you, you
can ask what you will and it shall be done unto you (John 15:7).
We think we are attached when we really are not. Some are deceived by a holy self-righteousness and think
they are attached, but they are really off the vine. If we want to be blessed, we have to be on the vine. "I am
the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman" (John 15:1 — KJV). If we're not on the vine, we need to get
back on the vine. We must hold on till our blessings come. Winds may blow, but we must stay on the vine.
Storms may rise, but we must stay on the vine. Heavy rain may beat down on the vine, but we must stay on
the vine until our blessing comes. We must stay on the vine until our change comes.
Summary
Perseverance is a key factor in being blessed. The familiar scripture narrative that tells of how Jacob
wrestled with God and held on until his blessing came teaches us a valuable lesson on perseverance. We
learn: 1) if our blessings are not approved by God, they will later haunt us, 2) we must stay attached to the
blessing source, 3) to be blessed we must struggle, 4) to be blessed we must change, and 5) to be blessed we
must be broken. We ought, therefore, to remain in the line until our change comes because God blesses
through our perseverance.