Determination

But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

One of my favorite places in Singapore is the Singapore Zoo, and one of my favorite places to visit in the zoo is the Great Rift Valley display. This display hosts a great collection of baboons, and they are truly amazing to watch! They jump, fight, and eat in vivid fashion, but, to me, the most remarkable thing about the baboons is the way the babies hold onto their mothers. The young baboons will cling so tightly onto the tail of their mother. Wherever the mother goes, the baby stays connected, following the tail. It often looks as if the baboon will lose its grip, but it never does.

The tenacity of the baby baboon can be inspiring for us. How determined are we in our spiritual walk? God is looking for people who will cling to Him and, by His grace, not let go. Do we have that kind of spirit?

Jacob was a man in the Bible who did have that attitude. He was the grandson of Abraham and was in line to receive all the blessings that God had promised his grandfather. However, he was also a liar; in fact, his name even meant “crooked, deceiver.” Jacob had been lying, cheating, deceiving his entire life, but he realized that he could not continue to go on that way.

In one critical moment in Jacob’s life, a man came and began wrestling with him. The man and Jacob wrestled throughout the night, and Jacob realized that this was not just a man he was wrestling with-it was actually God. Jacob declared that he would not let go until the man blessed him. At that moment, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. He was changed from being a deceiver to being a prince. His determination had been rewarded.

So let’s resolve to follow God and cling onto His ways. Let’s not be satisfied to remain at the same level of spiritual growth, but cry out for God to change us and bring us into more of His glory. Remember this-determination does not mean that we are clinging onto God by our own strength. It is only through His grace and by His grace that we even have the desire to meet with Him. Rather, determination means that we commit to cooperation with Him, and we learn to yield to His grace at all times. God has great plans for our lives in the upcoming year, but will we hold onto Him to achieve those plans? Let’s be like Israel and obtain God’s promises.