Wrestling right

Gen 32:24-25, 28-29 (NKJV)

24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.

28 And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel;for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.”

And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.

Many people view this attribute of Jacob in a positive way believing that Jacob wrestled with God without giving up and obtained a blessing. However, some people fail to notice that on account of doing so Jacob also received a dislocated hip. A few wonder why?

There is a lot of difference between wrestling in prayer and wrestling with God. We don't have to wrestle with God to receive an answer from Him, for God is always willing to pour His blessings and provision among His children. All that we need to do is humbly seek God and trust His provision (Phil 4:6). However, it is important that we should wrestle in prayer, because disappointments, discouragement and hopelessness can often make us give up on prayer. Satan uses these negativities to help us quit prayer.

Jacob wrestled with God and received a dislocated joint along with a blessing. While Epaphras wrestled in prayer and earned a greater testimony in God's kingdom...

Colossians 4:12-13 (New International Version)

12.Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Surely Epaphras would have received the "Best Blessings" from God for he was well aware of his priorities.