DCLM Daily Manna 24 April 2023 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Destiny Changing Faith And Prayer
TOPIC: Destiny Changing Faith And Prayer (DCLM Daily Manna 24 April 2023)
KEY VERSE: “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day” (Genesis 32:24).
TEXT: Genesis 32:21-32 (KJV)
21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.
23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.
MESSAGE:
It was Smith Wigglesworth who said: “Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials”.
From our text, the gloom, horror, and disaster that loomed over Jacob and his household finally brought him to the place of prayers. He was as desperate as he was importunate.
During the period this famous prayer lasted, an angel of God wrestled with Jacob. The angel said, “Let me go, for the day breaketh”. Jacob then requested and got a blessing before the angel left. From further details provided in Hosea 12:3,4, Jacob did not win the contest through any physical power or strength he possessed; rather, it was his plea for mercy and divine grace that saved him during that historic moment.
Although Jacob was said to have prevailed and to have power with God and with men, it all came through the mercy of God. Esau eventually arrived with his 400 armed men, but Jacob’s prayers had pacified him. The two brothers fell on each other’s neck in a period of emotional reunion after about 20 years of separation.
We can truly change our destinies through the exercise of faith in prayers. Indeed, he who fails to pray in faith inadvertently prepares to become prey. No battle can consume a praying and trusting Christian because God is ever near to deliver His children who call upon Him in times of danger.
We learn from Jacob’s experience that no matter how we try, we cannot avoid unpleasant challenges as we pass through this planet Earth. These challenges can be devastating or even life-threatening. However, we must be confident in the place of prayer when danger looms. It is better we pray ahead of trials than engage in firefighting.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Faith and prayer are two wings that bear us to heights beyond human reach.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Romans 10-12
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
