Need an Answer to Prayer? Get It In Six Easy Verses

By Carol McClain @carol_mcclain

Genessi 32: 22-31

Anyone stopping by this website knows I’m an author. And I can create books in two ways:

  1. I can dash down my first thoughts and believe they’re great. They are. To me. Not to anyone else who reads them.
  2. I can labor, write, rewrite, wrestle with my thoughts and words and phrasings. This is the one that produces works publishers and agents and, most importantly, readers love.

The same could be said of my stained glass or my oil paintings. Slapped together does give me an end product. Once in a great while, I get something nice. The norm is nothing I could share with another sentient human.

A former student of mine bakes magnificent cakes, ones that would make the Cake Boss jealous. Another friend produces award-winning quilts. Taking a lesson from her teaches you to be slow, meticulous and diligent.

What about you? Do you have talent with children? You know patience and striving. Gifted at teaching? You do not glance over a lesson. Are you a runner? tennis enthusiast? Evangelist? Name your passion–you work at it.

Quality takes time. Labor produces a good product. Wrestling out imperfections improves the outcome.

The same can be said of prayer. It takes work. It demands effort.

Look at Jacob just before he met Esau after twenty years in Haran. Still the feud between the two simmered. He knew his brother wanted him dead. The people of Esau could destroy all Jacob held dear. If anyone needed God’s answer to prayer, Jacob did.

How to get answer to prayer. (Gen.32: 22-31)

  1. Get in your prayer closet. Note, in verse 24, Jacob was alone. Yes, where two or three are gathered together there is power. However, kids, husbands, friends, family–all of these wonderful gifts from God distract us. Jacob sent his family and servants to the other side of the river and determined he’d meet God. Jacob knew without God’s grace, he’d lose all he loved the most.
  2. Wrestle with God–with prayer. A quick thesaurus check for the word wrestle yields the synonyms battle, contend, fight, strain. These connote working hard.
  3. Take time.  Verse 24 says Jacob wrestled with the angel until daybreak. If he settled his family on the other side of the river before dark, Jacob probably spent 10-12 hours toiling in prayer. A quick “okay, God, do this for me” is not going to cut it.
  4. It will cost us. In verse 26, we learn that Jacob’s thigh was pulled out of his socket, and he limped ever after.
  5. We will be transformed. Not only did the angel give Jacob his request (and by angel, implied is God–vs. 28 and 30), but he received a new name–Israel. Very often, mighty transformations–think Abram, Sarai, Simon Peter, Saul–come with renamings. No longer would Jacob be called deceiver, but Israel–a striver and prevailer with God.

Please, share with me how you receive answer to prayer. It’s important not just for me, but for those who follow this blog.

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1 Comment

  1. Brenda Palmer says:

    Loved this! Great post, and just what I needed to hear today!

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