Jacob wrestles with God. God names Jacob Israel who later becomes a great nation Israel. Through his descendants, a great nation is born and becomes the platform for where Jesus to establish his kingdom. There are many great men besides Jacob such as King David, Jesus Christ, George Muller, Abraham, the great apostles and many more.
We thank God the God of such great men is the same God whom we believe and worship. God by his grace through Jesus has given us access to His throne, the throne of grace of our almighty God. Sometimes, we wish if perhaps the CEO of a great company or Presidents of USA or even our Prime Minister is our personal friend. You may have access to these great men but they are mere mortals and have their limitations. But our Almighty God has no limitations. God is our Almighty Creator God. A trustworthy source of wisdom, strength and authority sufficient for us to meet our daily needs and do His gospel work. Men may fail us but our Almighty God never fails.
Many of these men spent much time on their knees to pray, to seek his face and to do his will. They drew strength, courage and wisdom from God to see them through their daily lives and doing the will of God their heavenly father. A famous writer on prayer once wrote “What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use — men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men — men of prayer.”
Another example is George Muller. Someone righly commented: “But Mueller and Craik had no money, nor did they intend to ask anyone for it: they believed that God would provide everything they needed: without patronage, without requests for contributions and without debts. All they had to do was pray, and God would provide. For 64 years, that was how George Mueller operated. In that course of time, he built The orphanage campus at Ashley Down, where he cared for and educated over 18,000 children; educated over 100,000 more in other schools at the Orphanage’s expense; distributed hundreds of thousands of Bibles and tens of millions of religious tracts; supported about 150 missionaries; travelled over 200,000 miles as a missionary himself; and shared the Gospel with over 3 million people around the world. And in all that time, he never asked for one penny from anyone, his children never missed a meal, and he never had a debt. That is the remarkable record of George Mueller.”
Jesus himself spent much time in prayer. He prayed on many occasions until his death on the cross. He prayed longer and more often when he was alone. He prayed alone before day (Mk. 1:35). He prayed alone at evening at the close of a busy day (Matt. 14:23). He prayed alone before choosing the twelve apostles (Lk. 6:12, 13). He prayed alone after a busy day healing the sick (Lk. 5:15, 16). He prayed alone three times in agony before his betrayal: “Thy will be done” (Matt. 26:39-44). Jesus prayed in his anguish before his betrayal and crucifixion: “And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Jn. 12:27; Lk. 22:39-46).
Oftentimes, we rush out to do our daily activities be it work, studies or at home. We depend on our own strength, wisdom and abilities to overcome our daily challenges. Oftentimes, we feel the strain, disappointment and discouragement. We may have much success in work, studies, ministry and family life. Let us learn from men in the past who have tasted God’s success through prayer. Let us do things differently: be people of prayer and taste the presence of God and the victory of God’s promises.