Dear Father, Whenever I come across the Scripture where Jacob wrestled with a divine being and prevailed, I am amazed, and I leave thinking that he must have possessed some supernatural strength. There have been many interpretations as to whether it was Jesus incarnate or an angel whom he wrestled with, but the Scripture says, “Then he said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.’” This clarifies it for me. Although this is not the reason I write to You, I write because I have gained some clarity from this Scripture: wrestling with You does not necessarily imply that Jacob possessed supernatural power, and wrestling is not unique to Jacob’s life. The passage may seem far-fetched until we consider what it actually means to wrestle. The Scripture recounts, “Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day has broken.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me.’” I would therefore like to infer that, wrestling with You can involve insisting on something different from Your will. And so, I think about the various ways we wrestle with You: through the choices we make that are misaligned with Your plan for us, our manner of living, our resistance to the assignment You have placed in our hands, or even our reluctance to develop the talents You have entrusted to us. The appalling difference is that Jacob wrestled with You for a good cause, and it resulted in a transformation. But what do we wrestle for? And what implications or transformation does our wrestling produce? Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindu Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #transformation #wrestlewithGod #willofGod #obedience

Dear Father, Whenever I come across the Scripture where Jacob wrestled with a divine being and prevailed, I am amazed, and I leave thinking that he must have possessed some supernatural strength. There have been many interpretations as to whether it was Jesus incarnate or an angel whom he wrestled with, but the Scripture says, “Then he said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.’” This clarifies it for me. Although this is not the reason I write to You, I write because I have gained some clarity from this Scripture: wrestling with You does not necessarily imply that Jacob possessed supernatural power, and wrestling is not unique to Jacob’s life. The passage may seem far-fetched until we consider what it actually means to wrestle. The Scripture recounts, “Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day has broken.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me.’” I would therefore like to infer that, wrestling with You can involve insisting on something different from Your will. And so, I think about the various ways we wrestle with You: through the choices we make that are misaligned with Your plan for us, our manner of living, our resistance to the assignment You have placed in our hands, or even our reluctance to develop the talents You have entrusted to us. The appalling difference is that Jacob wrestled with You for a good cause, and it resulted in a transformation. But what do we wrestle for? And what implications or transformation does our wrestling produce? Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindu Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #transformation #wrestlewithGod #willofGod #obedience

Dear Father, I often wonder how audacious our fathers were. Elijah, for instance, the Scripture says, "He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years." Our fathers knew there were no limitations to what You could make manifest on earth, and they aligned themselves with Your will. Were there no prophets who needed water and counter-prayed his request? How is it that You honored the word of one man over the need of an entire nation? In the days of Elijah, the Israelites worshiped Baal, who was considered the god of rain. It was only reasonable that Elijah's declaration was aimed at demonstrating that Baal was without authority to control what he was known for. However, something stands out to me: the Scripture records that, to obtain such a result, he prayed "earnestly." It is easy to recognize a supernatural occurrence while overlooking what was required to bring it to pass. Often, I wonder why it seems as though we demonstrate less the power our fathers wielded. Perhaps we do not anticipate as much. Or perhaps we have not taken into consideration the very words that stand out toward achieving supernatural possibilities: "He prayed earnestly." Not to consider things that may seem far-fetched, Elijah's demonstration was inspired by a desire to make the world see You. How often, then, do we pray not for things, but for You to be seen? And how earnestly? It seems our fathers' selflessly sought Your will as though their lives depended on it. And we-- what do we seek after? Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindu Slide 5: Urdu #LettertoGod #earnestprayers #willofGod #supernaturaloccurences #miracles

Dear Father, There are people who steal, perhaps with what they consider good reasons to steal. There are people who tell lies, and, sincerely, telling the truth in certain situations may seem to result in more chaos. There are also those who are not ignorant of what You would have them do, but perhaps the world has sold the narrative that obedience often costs more than rebellion. Today, I pondered situations where what we know about Your will is not in agreement with what we do concerning what we know about Your will. I read about Jeremiah when the Israelites came to him, committing to do whatever he said if he enquired of You on their behalf. The Scripture says, "...Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it." Yet later, Jeremiah declared, "And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you." Usually, I get offended whenever I read about outright rebellion, but in reality, this is a cycle that has not ended. I would begin by acknowledging that disobedience often appears advantageous, while obedience often appears costly. But what becomes of both in the end? So, we would rather tell lies than maintain integrity, or do otherwise than commit to doing Your will, repeating the very cycle the Israelites upheld. What audacity we employ in refusing to obey the voice of the One who has given us breath. Translation; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindu Slide 5: Urdu #LettertoGod #obedience #willofGod #disobedience #rebellion