November 9

Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” — Gen 32:26 BSB

Isn’t it strange how a believing heart can hold both despair and hope at the same time? On one hand, everything seems designed to confuse and discourage the soul, and yet, on the other, there’s always something that lifts it up, strengthens its faith, supports its hope, and encourages it to hold on. This is the very testing of faith, which is more valuable than gold, because faith is never dead or passive. It’s most alive when it’s being tested by fire. You can’t walk away from what you’ve felt and experienced, because that’s the very evidence, the assurance, that you have the life of God in your soul. Compared to that, everything else seems worthless, because to give up on that would mean giving up all your hope.

Here’s the great mystery: to keep holding on, even when it seems like the Lord is pushing us away. The more He seems to distance Himself, the more we cling to Him. Isn’t this the faith of the Syro-Phoenician woman, who wouldn’t take "no" for an answer? Or the faith of Ruth, who said, "Don’t ask me to leave you"? Or the faith of Hannah, who prayed to the Lord in her bitterness and wept deeply? This is the same faith that Heman expressed when he cried, "Will you show wonders to the dead? Will the dead rise and praise you?" and the faith of Asaph when he said his feet had almost slipped.

The more the Lord seems to reject us, the more we cling to Him. The more sinful we feel, the more we need His grace. And the magnitude of our sins only makes us cling tighter to His atoning blood and hold more firmly to His promises, knowing they are exactly what we need. Nothing will make us give up our hope or let go of His mercy.