And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. (Genesis 32:24)

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. (Hebrews 12:15-16)

Jacob wrestled with God until daybreak (Genesis 32:24). Truly, it is during the nights of our lives that we find ourselves wrestling with God. The nights of our lives are more than mere times of tragedy and trial. They are times when we, like Jacob, find ourselves “left alone.” Times when the still, small voice of the Spirit is silent in our lives. Times when the wind of the Spirit is deathly still. Times when the heavens are brass; when God appears to be turning a deaf ear to our desperate pleas. 

The nights of our lives are not just times when tragedy befalls us or troubles and trials come our way. Instead, they are times when God can’t be found in the midst of tragedy, trouble or trial. It is when our world is collapsing around us and God is neither speaking nor revealing Himself to us. It’s when we feel abandoned by the Almighty and begin to wonder if Christ’s promise is true—“I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you” (John 14:18 NIV). 

The old saints, like John of the Cross, called these nighttime wrestling matches with God "the dark nights of the souls." The famous Protestant Reformer, Martin Luther, even coined a word for them, “Anfechtungen.” To Luther, these spiritually arid times in our lives, were times of spiritual crisis within which God tests and strengthens us and the devil assaults and seeks to destroy us.

It is during these times when we feel spiritually orphaned that it is imperative for us to hold on to God. Like Jacob, we must refuse to let go of God until the day is once again breaking in our lives; that is, until God answers our prayers and blesses us (Genesis 32:26). If we let go of God during the nights of our lives, we will fail the grace of God, which will result in us getting angry at God, defiling others with our accusations against God, and abandoning the things of God (Hebrews 12:15-16). 

Make no mistake about it; we will either emerge from the nights of our lives like Jacob, a “prince” with God (Genesis 32:28), or like his brother Esau, a “profane person” who has turned his back on God (Hebrews 12:16). The difference in how we emerge from the nights of our lives will be determined by whether we turn to God and hold on to Him or turn away from God and let go of Him. If we hold on and prevail with God in prayer, we will emerge from the nights of our lives more powerful with God and endeared to God. If we let go and fail the grace of God, we will emerge from the nights of our lives profane and embittered toward God.

“Christianity is a religion for losers.” (Ted Turner, a man who once considered becoming a Christian missionary, but who let go of God and turned away from Him when his sister died of lupus)