Bless Me

by Vicki Kemper | published on Aug 3, 2026

Discussion Questions 

  1. Read about Jacob’s wrestlings (with his brother and with a stranger/angel) in Genesis 32-33; you can find it here. Then read the devotional below, “Bless Me.” 
  1. When have you chosen to be humbly silent before God, rather than asking for what you need?   
  1. What signs—in your life, in the world—remind you that God longs to bless you abundantly? Have you ever disqualified yourself as unworthy of God’s abundance? 
  1. How do you respond to the writer’s final prompt: “What are you struggling with today? Might there be a blessing in it? Don’t let go until you get it.” 

Devotional 

When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then [the man] said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” – Genesis 32:25-26 (NRSV) 

Perhaps we, like Jacob, need to demand more of God. 

We who have made of gratitude a duty. We who are so well aware of our privilege that joy can trigger guilt. We who are so familiar with our faults that we consider humility something to be optimized.  

Consider the brazen claims of Jacob, an unreformed scoundrel, on the Merciful Love who had promised to be with him always. All his life Jacob had been striving to get what he believed was his fair share. All his days he’d been wrestling with fate and working to bend it to his will. 

No matter how desperate his situation or how much of his suffering he had brought upon himself, Jacob worked every angle to turn things to his advantage. 

For all his faults, Jacob understood what we sometimes forget: That God is waiting to be gracious to us. That Love is longing for an invitation to go over the top. That more blessings than we can count already have our names on them and are primed for delivery.  

So perhaps we, like Jacob, should insist on a blessing for our trouble, salve for our wounds, mercy for our wrongs. Perhaps we shouldn’t let the Holy One off the hook, but should cash in every divine promise ever made. 

What are you struggling with today? Might there be a blessing in it? Don’t let go until you get it. 

Prayer
God I refuse to give up on your goodness. I refuse to let you go even after you bless me. Again.

About the Author
Vicki Kemper is the Pastor of First Congregational, UCC, in Amherst, Massachusetts, and a spiritual director.