Sinabi ng lalaki, “Bitiwan mo na ako at magbubukang-liwayway na!” “Hindi kita bibitiwan hangga’t hindi mo ako binabasbasan,” wika ni Jacob.Tinanong ng lalaki kung sino siya, at sinabi niyang siya’y si Jacob. Sinabi sa kanya ng lalaki, “Mula ngayo’y Israel na ang itatawag sa iyo, at hindi na Jacob, sapagkat nakipagbuno ka sa Diyos at sa mga tao, at ikaw ay nagtagumpay.”

Genesis 32:26–28

Have you ever prayed so hard it felt like you were fighting for your life?

’Yan ang nangyari kay Jacob — literally. Sa gabi bago ang reunion niya with his brother Esau, Jacob found himself alone, anxious, and desperate. He wanted reconciliation, but he was afraid his brother wouldn’t forgive him. On that night, nakipag-wrestling siya sa isang mysterious man na umabot hanggang umaga. But it was no ordinary fight. Jacob wrestled with God Himself.

In his desperation, nasabi niyang hindi niya bibitawan ang Diyos hangga’t hindi Siya nito bini-bless. His words reflect not just stubbornness, but deep longing. Could Jacob have asked for peace, assurance, and transformation? Maybe he wasn’t just asking for material blessings. God turned him from being the deceitful Jacob to a changed man, Israel. And God answered his prayer for a blessing.

You may be going through the same situation right now. May prayer kang mukhang imposibleng masagot. You are filled with desperation and fear. You need a breakthrough from poverty, illness, or sin. You need an answer that only God can give. Sometimes, our most heartfelt prayers come out of life’s hardest moments. Just like Jacob, you may wrestle through many sleepless nights.

Kung meron kang desperation, frustration, at pagod, bring it to God. Fight in prayer. Go to Him and cling on to God until He answers you. Do not give up praying and see how God changes you. And like Jacob, when we persevere in faith, God meets us with blessing — hindi man sa paraan na gusto natin, but always in the best way we need.