Heaven’s Hotline
I'm not one of those people who has to have the latest, greatest phone. In fact, half the time, I forget to carry my phone with me. That being said, for my birthday, Jason surprised me with a nice new phone. The main reason for this change was because my old phone had been acting wonky for some time now. On several occasions, people claimed I didn't answer their call when the truth is, my phone never rang. Messages didn't always go through. And recently, it took me five tries or more to even make a call.
The frustration of an unreliable connection is maddening. You need to make an important call, but your device decides it's the perfect time for a technological tantrum. We've all been there, haven't we?
But as I finally gave up on my rebellious phone that day, a beautiful thought struck me: aren't you glad our "phone line" to Heaven doesn't work like that?
Keep Holding On
For a long time, every time I read this passage, I felt Jacob was being presumptuous. If you follow his life story, he wasn’t exactly a model believer. He lied and cheated on more than one occasion. His very name means “supplanter” or “deceiver.” Knowing that, doesn’t it seem rather bold to declare to God, “I won’t let go until you bless me”?
But, as I’ve grown in the faith, I’ve come to realize we should follow Jacob’s example. No, I don’t mean we should lie and cheat, but we should come to God boldly, determined we won’t let go until we receive that for which we came.