October 13

The Prayer of Jabez

The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles are filled with thousands of years of genealogies. This might be some of the most difficult and boring reading we do all year. Yet smack in the middle of this litany of names, we have a story break though.

1 Chron. 4:9-10 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

What’s with this guy? He gets two verses when no one else has any more information given about them. I think we can trace this reputation to his prayer.

He wanted to live beyond the limits. When was the last time God worked in your life in such a clear way that the only explanation is His miraculous power? When we traveled to Kenya, Ruth Goulart put together a list of 7 impossible dreams she had. These dreams were things only God could answer. I believe God has unclaimed blessings he wants to shower on people of faith. He is looking for people who desire to live beyond their limits spiritually, people who want to dream great dreams for God’s kingdom.

This prayer also asks for a blessing. The great men and women of the Bible have always held onto God and desired his blessing. The caution of this blessing is that it is not a new car, a bigger house, winning the World Series; the greatest blessing is knowing God personally. When we ask for God’s blessing, it’s not about getting stuff, it’s about getting God. The most fantastic blessing we can ever have in life is receiving the love of God. This loving relationship with the eternal God is the deepest longing of the human heart. He wants to bless us with himself, and he is looking for people who express this longing. So why not ask God to bless you today?

He also asked for gain, but not pain. Jabez’s name means “pain.” That would be a great name for a professional linebacker but a terrible name for a kid growing up. Only God knows for sure the origin of this pain, but Jabez wanted to move beyond that to a place of gain, a place where he has freedom and a totally upward focus.

Finally, Jabez wants to live large. He wants God to enlarge his territory. He realizes he was born for something larger than what his life was at the moment. As the singer Bono said a few years ago, “he wanted to maximize his influence for the kingdom of God.” That is a wonderful prayer for us. That God would enlarge our influence for the kingdom of God.

This is how Bruce Wilkinson summarized this prayer, “O God and King, please expand my opportunities and my impact in such a way that I touch more lives for your glory. Let me do more for You!”

We live in times when we need revolutionaries to pray this way. As we close down our time in the Old Testament, we need people who believe in a miracle producing God. Take a step of faith today and pray the prayer of Jabez.