DOCTRINE. Wrestling with God in prayer is most necessary for the life of a believer.
I. FOUR PRELIMINARY TRUTHS
I) The angel of the LORD Jacob wrestles in Genesis 32 is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God (Gen. 32:28; Hos. 12:3-4).
II) Secret prayer can be likened to wrestling with God (Gen. 32:23-24, Hos. 12:4).
III) Supplication or Asking or Petitioning God is only one aspect of prayer, but it is the aspect we are focussing on in Genesis 32.
IV) What is prayer? “Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised or, according to His word, for the good of the church with submission in faith to the will of God” (John Bunyan, Prayer, 13).
II. SIX TRUTHS ABOUT WRESTLING WITH GOD IN PRAYER (Genesis 32:22-32).
I) Wrestling with God in prayer is best done alone, in secret (Gen. 32:23-24).
II) Wrestling with God in prayer is not safe, but it is good (Gen. 32:25).
III) Wrestling with God in prayer means to engage with holy violence, petitioning Him for a blessing (Gen. 32:26).
QUESTION. What are some blessings we should seek with holy violence and petition God for? Here are seventeen ideas.
(1) Pray for God’s face to shine upon you, for you and others to know the love of God in Christ Jesus, not just intellectually but intimately (Our Father in heaven).
(2) Pray for God to save sinners (Your kingdom come).
(3) Pray for yours and others’ Sanctification (Your will be done).
(4) Pray for the Fruit of the Spirit to be produced in you and others (Your will be done).
(5) Pray that God would enable you and others to Obey His Law for His glory (Your will be done).
(6) Pray that God would give you and others Assurance of salvation (Your will be done).
(7) Pray that God would make you content with His providence (Your will be done).
(8) Pray for physical provision (daily bread).
(9) Pray for a godly husband or wife (daily bread).
(10) Pray for godly children (daily bread - “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John’” Luke 1:13).
(11) Pray for forgiveness of yours and others sins (forgive us our debts).
(12) Pray against temptation to sin (keep us from the evil one - “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matt. 26:41).
(13) Pray for protection from and defeat of both Christ’s and our enemies (keep us from the evil one).
(14) Pray for those who are sick to be healed.
(15) Pray for those who are suffering to be comforted by God the Holy Spirit.
(16) Pray for those who are straying to be corrected and brought back to faithfulness.
(17) Pray for those who are striving to be empowered to continue on for God’s glory.
IV) Wrestling with God in prayer should be done with confidence, seeing that God loves to bless His people (Gen. 32:27-29).
V) Wrestling with God in prayer must be done with Christ as your Mediator (Gen. 32:30).
VI) Wrestling with God in prayer is not about changing God, but you will find that He does change you (Gen. 32:31-32).
III. 6 USES FOR DIRECTION.
I) Set times to devote yourself to secret prayer, and make it feasible, given your station in life and where you are in your sanctification (Matt. 6:6; Ja. 4:2-3).
II) Praise, thank, and confess to God in prayer, but do not overlook asking (Phil. 4:6).
III) Use the Lord’s Prayer as your model for how and what to pray (Matt. 6:9-13).
IV) Use the Psalms and other prayers recorded in the Scriptures to help you learn how to pray (Ps. 42:4).
V) Plead the promises of God in your prayers, asking Him to make good on them (Ps. 119:116).
VI) Labor to be content with whatever the LORD does to you when you wrestle with Him in prayer (Phil. 4:11-14).
CONCLUSION. Christ does not tell Jacob His name, but rather shows Jacob His name. Immediately after Jacob asks the question, Christ bestows the blessing. Who is Christ? He is the one who comes to crush the head of the serpent and bless all the nations of the earth by His mercy! This once crucified, now resurrected Christ says, “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Is. 45:22). And I say to you, “Blessed are all who take refuge in Him” (Ps. 2:12).
