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And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain." So God granted him what he requested. (1 Chronicles 4:10)
Gracious Father, may Your hand be with this dear reader, and bless and protect them; guide them with Your hand in all that they are facing. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen. May God's blessings guide you through this day and weekend towards where God would have you be.
I have on my refrigerator a copy of the Prayer of Jabez. In fact, I don't know what version it is, but I used it for our passage for today. It is my hope to share with you some of the prayers in the Bible and this one came to mind as it helps guide my prayers each day.
If you remember some years ago, maybe even towards the end of the last century; no, it was right at 2000 that Bruce Wilkerson published a little book that sold millions almost immediately. Many bought it for guidance, some for personal gain, and others just to see if it maybe contained a secret to getting wealthy. One can read the prayer however one wants, and get pretty much a different message each time. Here's how I read this prayer.
Let's start with his name. His mother named him Jabez, because she bore him in pain. And guess what? The name means Pain. Interesting name with which to go in life! "Here comes Pain!" or "Pain just left!" Poor Pain. Yet, the same passages show that Jabez was more honored than his brothers. (1 Chronicles 4:9). That passage shows he is one of the descendants of Judah. We don't know much more about his life than his honor among brothers, which may have caused them to look down on him because of his honor, and his prayer.
Let's give the man credit for his faith. He believed in "the God of Israel." There is no other god. And Jabez had faith to ask God for his request.
He begins asking for a blessing. To be blessed by God is the greatest blessing. We don't have to name the specifics, for we know when we are blessed. Tragic are those who are wonderfully blessed and don't know it. If you opened your eyes this morning as you awoke, you have two blessings for which to be thankful. If you took a breath, another blessing. If you had something to eat, check, blessing! Notice he asks to be blessed "indeed" meaning he wanted the blessing of knowing he was blessed.
He next asks for territory. As I was looking at the different versions of this prayer, some are more specific: "Give me land, more land!" Okay. I read it as asking for one's influence to grow larger on people for the good of God's work. I don't necessarily want more land as much as I want to bless people to draw closer to God. I joked when I was appointed a district superintendent that the Prayer of Jabez worked! I went from having to shepherd one church to ultimately 58. And from driving from the parsonage to the church, at best a two-mile commute per day, now it was fifteen counties that I drove. (Please note pastors reading this: I am joking about this prayer "working" so please don't write and complain you have not been made a DS. Know what you sometimes pray for you get, and many times you may not know just why you asked for that!)
Jabez asked that God's hand be with him. God's guiding hand is essential for all people of the Christian faith. We do need to ask for that which will bless us to be faithful and fruitful.
Jabez prayed that God would keep him from evil. Jesus later included this in His prayer that we know as The Lord's Prayer. Not a bad thing to ask to be kept from that which will harm or hurt our lives in every sense; better to ask God's protection from the things of death.
Lastly, Jabez prayed for his not causing pain. Interesting, that Pain asked not be such to anyone. Nice prayer request. We seek to be faithful to God, sometimes making tough love decisions that show our commitment to God especially to our children; God comes first and we want to honor and please God only. Sometimes tough love decisions leave it to our children to make the decisions based on the knowledge that Mom and Dad mean to serve God in righteousness.
And the passage ends with God answering Jabez' prayer. We don't know how that prayer was answered, but the writer of 1 Chronicles shares that it was. One day in Glory we may find out exactly what that meant, but for now, we declare as we should each time we pray, "Because God answers prayers."
PRAYER: Loving Father, bestow Your loving mercy on this dear reader. May that which they need to be faithful to You come through their steadfast prayer life and study life. Increase their influence for good; guide their hands away from harm and evil towards that which blesses and gives life. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Pray and live as one who want to cause no pain to others; seek to build up and give life today!
