NOTES for Gen 32:23-32
It is common to hear people say, "I do not ask God for anything for myself; sometimes I ask for relatives, but I feel awkward asking for myself." This awkwardness comes from having no need for God, who, like any free person, will most likely suggest a path that is not at all the one a person wants. I ask for nothing, I owe nothing, I live as I want here, and He can somehow manage there by Himself.
But can a person do anything at all without God? From what can he protect himself? Can he withstand the evil he sees in abundance around himself and those he loves? He can, knowing that God is a person who loves each one separately and concretely. Jacob's ardor, his persistence, his boldness - this is an example of how a person should act when asking God for blessing. This is the persistence of one who knows where the source of life is. This is the ardor of one who knows: there is no other way to survive.