Invincible
The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Prov. 10: 22.
When in his distress, Jacob laid hold of the
Angel, and made supplication with tears, the heavenly Messenger, in order to try his faith, also reminded him of his sin, and endeavored to escape from him. But
Jacob would not be turned away. He had learned that God is merciful, and he cast himself upon His mercy. He pointed back to his repentance for his sin, and
pleaded for deliverance. As he reviewed his life, he was driven almost to despair; but he held fast the Angel, and with earnest, agonizing cries urged his petition until
he prevailed.
Such will be the experience of God's people in their final struggle with the powers of evil. God will test their faith, their perseverance, their confidence in His
power to deliver them. Satan will endeavor to terrify them with the thought that their cases are hopeless. . . . They will have a deep sense of their shortcomings, and
as they review their lives, their hopes will sink. But remembering the greatness of God's mercy, and their own sincere repentance, they will plead His promises made
through Christ to helpless, repenting sinners. Their faith will not fail because their prayers are not immediately answered. They will lay hold of the strength of God, as
Jacob laid hold of the Angel, and the language of their souls will be, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me" (Gen. 32: 26). . . .
Jacob's history is an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true repentance. It was by
self- surrender and confiding faith that Jacob gained what he had failed to gain by conflict in his own strength. God thus taught His servant that divine power and
grace alone could give him the blessing he craved. Thus it will be with those who live in the last days. As dangers surround them, and despair seizes upon the soul,
they must depend solely upon the merits of the atonement. We can do nothing of ourselves. In all our helpless unworthiness we must trust in the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour. None will
ever perish while they do this.
From God's Amazing Grace - Page 278
