The Prayer of Jabez
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.
(1 Chronicles 4:10, NIV)
At first reading the prayer of Jabez is an unusual prayer, because Jabez is asking God for a personal blessing. In general, the act of blessing is usually associated with people blessing others, such as when Moses blessed the Israelites in Deuteronomy 33:1 or when Jesus blessed the children in Mark 10:13-16, or when God bestows a blessing on an individual.
So is it OK to ask for a blessing for yourself?
Introduction
Jabez was from the tribe of Judah, and his mother had a difficult labour, naming him Jabez, Hebrew for distress or pain. We don’t know anything else about Jabez because there is only one mention of him in the whole of the scriptures and it is here in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.
The four petitions of Jabez
"Oh, that you would bless me"
Jabez asks for a big blessing. The heart of God is to give good gifts to His children, and Christ encourages us to ask the Father for these gifts:
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9-11
"Enlarge my territory"
Jabez had a massive goal. Out of all the ancestors in 1 Chronicles 4:4-8 Jabez was noted mostly for prayer, and for God honouring his requests. The prayer of Jabez could apply to many areas of the believer’s life, and not just physical territory as appears to be in the case of Jabez.
Examples could include:
On a personal level
Such as the overcoming of fears or mindsets. That I might "take more ground" in godly thinking about myself, and that the ground that poor self esteem has in my life would diminish.
On a giving level
The charity I work for expands its reach and its impact in society.
On a work level
There are new opportunities at work for career development.
"Let your hand be with me"
The third thing that Jabez asks for is God's hand to be with him. Jabez is dependent on God in this process of stretching and development. He looks to God for his strength, presence and guidance. Here we can compare the prayer of Jabez with the Lord's Prayer "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one" Matthew 6:13. Jabez understands that his prayer carries risks - as his portion is increased there is also the risk of falling into sins such as pride and the love of power. Jabez asks that he would not be a pain! Jabez was born in pain, 1 Chronicles 4:9, and his name means "sorrow-maker". However, as Jabez asks for blessing and expansion he does not want to cause sorrow to himself or anybody else. This shows us that his motivations come from a genuine heart for the good of all and not just his own wellbeing.
"And God granted his request"
God honoured Jabez with his request. God desires to give us the longings of our hearts:
Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.
Keep on seeking, and you will find.
Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives.
Everyone who seeks, finds.
And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8
Conclusion
Perhaps the most controversial element in this prayer is that Jabez is praying for himself, for his own development. It is easier to pray a blessing on somebody else; "God bless them" feels more comfortable and less self-seeking than "God bless me". However, this is not the only instance of a character from the bible asking blessing for oneself; Solomon's request to God for an understanding mind in 1 Kings 3:9.
The key takeaway is this. In the prayer of Jabez, we learn that God blesses an individual after a direct request for more. This does not mean that God will answer every specific request for more. Somebody may be seeking something for selfish gain. What they want may actually be harmful to them or to other people. However, what this prayer does reveal is that Jabez sets a precedent in prayer. When there are good motivations; not to cause harm, and a dependency on God's hand for strength and protection, then God is eager to answer such prayers.
Questions
Discuss the four requests of Jabez. Has anyone in your group prayed in the past for their own success, and if so, did God answer that prayer?
How can we ensure that the prayers we pray for our own self-development are godly ones?
Think of one area that you would like to see success in, eg. personal (this might be overcoming a fear), family (finding a partner, having children), giving (serving the church or community in some way) or work (business, career development or aspirations) These are just some ideas - feel free to think of others!
Share these thoughts with the group, then pray together and ask God to meet you in them.
Bruce Wilkinson makes the point that Christ expands our horizons - Christ calls us to make disciples of all nations, not just, as it was at the time, the Jewish people. In a recent interview, he observed that Jabez can not have prayed the wrong thing in asking for his territory to be increased, because God never answers a wrong prayer.
In conclusion, the prayer of Jabez is a prayer for four greater things in a persons life:
• Greater success (bless me indeed)
• Greater influence (enlarge my territory)
• Greater power (the hand of God, touch of God)
• Greater protection (keep me from evil)
We should take heart from the fact that God granted his request.
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