Change happens through commitment. When Jacob realised he was wrestling with the angel of the Lord, he said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ That’s what it takes – commitment. Jacob was committed and persistent; he stuck with it until he worked his way through it. He didn’t like where he was any more than you do. It was frustrating and it was getting him down. But he was totally committed to sticking with it until God turned it around for his good.
When God gets our attention through a crisis, He doesn’t always solve it immediately; sometimes He waits to see whether we really mean business. We’re so conditioned to instant everything – instant food, instant Internet access, instant success – that when we don’t get an immediate answer to our prayer or an instant turnaround we say, ‘Forget it, God.’ The fact is you didn’t get into this mess overnight, and you won’t get out of it overnight. Sometimes God has to remove our weaknesses layer by layer.
Experts tell us it takes six weeks of doing the same thing every day before it becomes a habit. Think of that in terms of developing the habit of praying and reading your Bible each day, or relearning to love your spouse. That’s six weeks…forty-two days…over a thousand hours…and Satan will fight you at every turn. So what should you do? Spend time with God. ‘They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint’ (Isaiah 40:31 KJV).
1 King 8-9, Acts 4:23-37
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