September 15: Wrestling for your Blessing

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Scripture: Gen. 32:26

And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

Shirlette Facey
Kings SDA Church


There was a time I wrestled with God about a situation that was very close to my heart. My family had been living in the states for a few years but it was coming time for our contract to end. I wasn’t ready to go back home.  I was convinced this was where I should be. Everything in me said this was where I was supposed to be. I prayed. I begged. I even went on a full week of fasting, clinging to God in the same way Jacob clung to Him at the river Jabbok. Like Jacob, I said in my heart, “Lord, I will not let You go unless You bless me.”


But things didn’t turn out the way I expected. The opportunity to stay didn’t materialize. At first, I was disappointed and confused. Hadn’t I done everything? Hadn’t I sought Him earnestly? Why would He withhold this opportunity?


It was only afterward that I realized God had something different in mind. He didn’t give me the opportunity I wanted—but He gave me something I needed. A new position in an environment that was totally different from what I was used to. I went from teaching kindergarten to 6th form in a matter of months. The position He provided wasn’t on my radar, but it became clear that it was the one that fit His plan for my life. It was stable, timely, and filled with opportunities for growth that I couldn’t have imagined for myself. These students are still in contact with me even today. One even messaged me all the way from Russia where she is studying engineering. 


I am also now in the Cayman Islands at one of the best schools I have ever taught. The change I have seen in the students we have impacted has given me great peace in knowing that where I am is where He wanted me to be. 


Looking back, I see that my wrestling was not in vain. Like Jacob, I came out of it changed. God taught me that His blessings are not always wrapped in the packages I desire, but they are always perfect for me. Sometimes the blessing is not in God saying “yes” to my request, but in Him redirecting me toward what I truly need.


If you are wrestling with God today, don’t let go. Cling to Him. But also, trust that when the struggle ends, the blessing may look different than you thought. And that’s okay—because God always has a plan, and His plan is better.


Prayer:

Lord, thank You that even when Your answers don’t match my expectations, they always match my needs. Help me to trust You in the wrestling and accept the blessings You choose for me. Amen.

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