The thirty-second chapter of the book of Genesis, from verse 24.
Genesis 32:24-32
And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
And when He saw that He prevailed not against him, He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was strained, as he wrestled with Him.
And He said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let Thee go, except Thou bless me.
And He said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
And He said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
And Jacob asked Him, and said, Tell me, I pray Thee, Thy name. And He said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after My name? And He blessed him there.
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, said he, I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
And the sun rose upon him as he passed over Penuel, and he limped upon his thigh.
Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the hip which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because He touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.
And then, in the New Testament, in the Hebrew letter, chapter 11.
Hebrews 11:21
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
And I want you to turn back to the Old Testament, first in Deuteronomy, chapter 28, from verse 1.
Deuteronomy 28:1-14
And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth:
and all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy beasts, the increase of thy cattle, and the young of thy flock.
Blessed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough.
Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thee: they shall come out against thee one way, and shall flee before thee seven ways.
The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy barns, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto; and He shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
The Lord shall establish thee for a holy people unto Himself, as He hath sworn unto thee; if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in His ways.
And all the peoples of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
And the Lord shall make thee plenteous for good, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
The Lord shall open unto thee His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them,
and shalt not turn aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
And lastly, in the book of Isaiah, in chapter 33, one verse, verse 23.
Isaiah 33:23
Thy tacklings are loosed; they could not strengthen the foot of their mast, they could not spread the sail: then was the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame took the prey.
The lame took the prey.
Shall we pray?
Father, we want to thank Thee that we are gathered here in Thy presence this morning, and that, Lord, Thou hast a marvellous plan for today. We believe, Lord, Thou hast a specific design for this time. And we are here, Lord, simply to stand with Thee, that that plan of Thine, that design of Thine for this time, shall be fulfilled. We say together in faith, “It will be done.”
We thank Thee for the work of Thy Holy Spirit. We thank Thee for the Person of the Holy Spirit. We thank Thee that He is here to take up the things of our Lord Jesus and make them real to us, to declare them to us, to make them practically available to us. We praise Thee for this.
Now, Lord, we ask Thee, wilt Thou grant, Lord, that this time shall be flooded with Thy presence, with Thy working, with Thy speaking; that somehow Thy Word may come into us, Lord, and may find a dwelling place in us. The Word of Christ may dwell in us richly in all wisdom.
We stand against every device of the enemy, and we command every single weapon of his to be rendered ineffective through the finished work of our Lord Jesus. Whether it be small, little things worrying us, physical things, whether it be these bugs or whatever, or, Lord, whether it be larger things that are crime.