Wrestling with God | Sunday Message

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Oct 12, 2025

Struggling with unanswered prayers? You're not alone! Explore the reasons we resist God's will, inspired by the biblical story of Jacob. Discover how wrestling with God can lead to transformation. Embrace the concept of surrendering for blessings as Jacob did, and learn the importance of God's timing over human impatience. Reflect on your spiritual journey and the power of solitude to hear God's voice. Ultimately, let go and trust in God's plan for a renewed identity.

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ANECDOTE

Failed Arm-Wrestling As A Metaphor

Greg Laurie tells a humorous arm-wrestling story to illustrate how futile it is to fight God.
The story shows that trying to outmatch God only leads to embarrassment or defeat.

INSIGHT

Prayer Aligns You With God's Will

Prayer's purpose is to align us with God's will rather than force God to follow ours.
Greg Laurie emphasizes that God's will and timing are superior to our requests and schedules.

ANECDOTE

Jacob's Scheme For The Birthright

Greg Laurie retells Jacob and Esau's story showing Jacob's scheming to gain the birthright and blessing.
The episode highlights Jacob's impatience and manipulation contrasted with God's prior plan.

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Sometimes you pray... and nothing happens. You’re asking for something good, but God isn’t budging. What’s happening? You might be wrestling with God.

Maybe He’s been leading you to do something—and you’ve resisted... You won’t let Him into that one area of your life. You won’t break off that relationship that drains you spiritually. You won’t give up that habit that drags you down. You’re afraid to take that step of faith.

Remember Jonah? God said, “Go.” Jonah said, “No.” And God said, “Oh?”

If that’s you—you’re not alone. Even Jacob wrestled with God. His struggle began with resisting and ended with resting. He stopped fighting and started clinging—saying, “I will not let You go until You bless me.” Pastor Greg Laurie shares more in this message.

Notes:

Focus verse - Genesis 32

God’s plans are better than ours.

Have you ever prayed and prayed for something, and no answer came?

The Bible urges us to bring our needs to God.
Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)

Wrestling with God is not necessarily a bad thing.

“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."
—Abraham Lincoln

Hosea 12:3 (NLT)
Even in the womb, Jacob struggled with his brother; when he became a man, he even fought with God.

Hosea 12:4 (NLT)
Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won. He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him. There at Bethel he met God face to face, and God spoke to him.

Jesus is the Passover lamb in Exodus; in Numbers, He is the bronze serpent lifted up.

A Christophany is an appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament.

Jacob was wrestling with Jesus Himself.

Genesis 25:23 (NKJV)
And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, …
And the older shall serve the younger."

Psalm 139:14,16

The meaning of Jacob’s name is
heel-catcher, contender, supplanter, grabber.

God does not just see you for what you are, but for what you can become.

God sees things differently than we do.
We see failure, God sees potential.
We see the past, God sees the future.
We see sin, God sees restoration.

Time showed that Jacob was a righteous man
and Esau was an ungodly man.

It’s not about how we start this race in life but how we finish it.

It was not an easy road for Jacob, and that was his own fault.

Hebrews 12:16 (NLT)
Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal.

When we get tired of praying, we start scheming, and we make a mess of things.

Rebecca sent Jacob to visit her brother, Laban.
On the way there, Jacob had an encounter with God.

All Jacob had to do was wait on God’s timing.

Jacob met his match in his uncle Laban.
The trickster met the trickster extraordinaire.

We reap what we sow.

Christians should try to live in peace with people.
Romans 12:18

God meets us at whatever level He finds us
and lifts us to where He wants us to be.

God will come to you in just the right way.
Hebrews 4:16

Read Genesis 32:24–30

Jacob was wrestling with Jesus Christ.

We need to get away from all the distractions of life and get alone with God.

When you get to the end of yourself, you get to the beginning of God.

Now, instead of fighting with God, Jacob is clinging to Him.

In surrender to God’s plan, Jacob found what he always wanted,
the very blessing he asked God for.

We win by losing.
Luke 17:33

Genesis 32:28 (NLT)
"Your name will no longer be Jacob," the man told him. "From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won."

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."
—Corrie Ten Boom

Are you running from God?
The good news is God is running to you.

Looking for hope or know someone who is? Join Greg Laurie at the Harvest Crusade: Hope for America on November 16! Get event information here.

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