Jacob was defeated, but he wouldn't just give up. He wanted something in return - a blessing. How bad do you want to be blessed? This was normal for Jacob, always trying to get something from someone. It's nervy to think of demanding a blessing from someone who has just gotten the best of you.
Yet in Jacob's demand, we can hear hints of something that was new for him. Jacob wasn't used to negotiating from a position of total defeat. By this point, Jacob knew there was no hope of scrambling his way out of this problem. After a lifetime of thinking that he had to rely on his own wits, he was finally forced to acknowledge his limits. Pinned to the ground, he found himself in the awkward position of having no more options. All he could do was ask for help.
Today, as we think about Jacob, ask yourself these questions. Have you ever been flattened by circumstances you didn't see coming, with no option left but to cry out to God for help? Most recovery groups, schools and families are filled with people who refuse to ask for help until their situations becomes desperate. Jacob was at that point. He knew earlier that he could pray to God, but then he still tried doing things his own way. Things were different for him. It made him a different person, who needed a different name: Israel, the "God-wrestler". Sometimes God needs to break us down before He can bring us back up. Has He ever done that to you? When times are hard don't let go, hold on.
The man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." (Genesis 32:26).
Let's pray
Yahweh, I know you are in control of my life. Father Help me to struggle with, but not against you. In Jesus's name, Amen.