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THE PRAYER OF JABEZ

(1 Chronicles 4:9-10).

The books of Chronicles do just that – they chronicle – they record key information about the generations starting with Adam, through to Abraham and the families of the 12 tribes of Israel. In the record of the family of Judah which is a long list of names, the list stops for a moment and the story of Jabez suddenly appears (1 Chronicles 4:9-10).

 

We do not know very much about Jabez except that he was  from the tribe of Judah – the tribe that Jesus came from and that he prayed a special prayer.

 

The only other thing we know is that the circumstances of his birth were so very painful for his mother and that is why she called him Jabez.  That name sounds like PAINFUL in Hebrew. So whenever he heard his name called – that’s what he heard:

 

“PAINFUL come here" - “PAINFUL your dinner is ready”

 “PAINFUL - don’t do that!”  “PAINFUL - be a good boy”.  

 

He constantly heard that he was a pain!

 

Actually LITERALLY HIS NAME MEANS 'YOU WILL CAUSE PAIN'

 

It was like an ongoing curse on his life which he heard every day, every time anyone said Jabez – he heard “You will be a pain” – he couldn’t get away from it!

 

Modern psychiatry tells us that if a young child hears negative words about himself/herself often enough it can affect the rest of their lives.  So if a child is told: “You are stupid – you are useless “- it can cause great damage to their personality or cause him/her to be a very rebellious negative unhappy person.  

 

Some people use a bad start in life as an excuse for bad behaviour. They get into drugs or crime and blame their parents or circumstances for it.

 

The Bible says that Jabez was “more honourable than his brothers” – I can think of at least 3 reasons for that:

 

1. Jabez had a bad start in life – but he did not blame his mother or allow that to destroy him or use that as an excuse for bad behaviour

 

2. Jabez was honourble because he turned to God in his need – he prayed

 

3. He allowed God to turn a negative thing into a positive thing

 

Jabez did not want to be a pain so he prayed a special prayer which has been a blessing to many people:

  • “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!”

I believe  this is the prayer of a young person who has had a bad start but he’s got his whole life in front of him and he wants it to be positive not negative.  He wants to achieve something with his life.

 

If that what you want then this prayer is for you!

Jabez prayed for 4 things:

1) Jabez prayed that God would bless him

“O that you would bless me – indeed”

 

God’s blessing is the antidote to pain.  The blessing of the Lord makes rich and he adds no sorrow to it.

 

To be blessed by God is better than to have all the 'luck' in the world.  Some people seem to have everything easy and things go smoothly for them – well at best that may last for a lifetime but God’s blessings are eternal.

 

To receive a blessing is to receive something that ONLY GOD can give.

 

Jabez was looking to God.

 

It may seem to be a selfish prayer but really it’s not - because if we are blessed by God – then we can be a blessing to others also. We can only give what we have got ourselves.

 

Do you want your life to be a blessing to others? Then this prayer is for you!

2) Jabeez prayed that God would expand his territory

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Again it could sound like a selfish prayer – he wants all the land he can get.  

 

But no this is a prayer of faith – He is laying claim to the promise that God gave to Abraham Isaac and Jacob to give them the land of Israel.  He is honouring God by believing the promises of God.

 

God likes faith – without faith it is impossible to please God – so faith pleases God – God responds to those who have faith in Him.

 

Faith comes by hearing God’s word – Jabez is claiming God’s word.  Jabez is actively seeking what God has promised – he is activating his faith in God by praying this prayer.

 

This is a Prayer for those who want to achieve something in their lives and to do that is always hard work – but it’s worth it.

 

Jabez asks God to enable him to push out the boundaries of his life.  He lays claim to the distant horizon.  He doesn’t want to stay where he is – he wants to spread his wings and fly.  

 

Are we going to stay where we are as individuals – or are we going to attempt great things for God.

 

The 18th Century pioneer missionary, William Carey said “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”

 

William Carey was a self-confessed plodder – he kept on going whatever happened. He said “I can plod - I can persevere” and this stood him in good stead for his future work.

 

As a young man he was just a poor shoe maker / mender but after his conversion he began to teach himself New Testament Greek, then Hebrew. In 1792 he opened a missionary society declaring: “Expect great things from God – attempt great things for God.”

 

Carey took his family to India where they endured great hardships – he contracted malaria, one of his sons died and his wife became mentally ill. Many people would have just come home to England, and everyone would have understood - but in all of this Carey kept plodding on.  

 

Over the next 28 years he translated the Bible into all the major languages of India and although at the end of his life he could count only 700 converts out of all the millions of India, William Carey laid a foundation that others built on and has inspired many others to attempt great things for God.

3) Jabez prayed that God’s hand would be on his life

Hands can be very expressive – The way we use our hands speaks to people. When a young man wants to hold his girl friend’s hand or a parent holds her child’s hand – it’s saying I love you – I like to be with you – I’m here with you. We speak with our hands all the time.

 

Jabez felt the need of God’s hand on his life and he asked for it.

 

We all need God’s hand on our lives.

 

At any given time we will need:

 

  • God's hand of BLESSING

  • God's hand of HELP

  • God's hand of COMFORT

  • God's hand of HEALING

  • God's hand of PROTECTION

  • God's hand of STRENGTH

  • God's hand of GUIDANCE

  • God's hand of WARNING or RESTRAINT

  • God's hand of LOVE

 

  • Do you want God’s hand on your life?  If our lives are in God's hands we are in SAFE hands!

 

4) Jabez prayed to be delivered from evil so he would not cause pain to others.

 

  • When we give in to temptation, sin causes pain and we can end up being a real pain to those around us.

 

  • When we are depressed and unhappy that can be a real pain to those who are close to us.

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  • When we are stressed and worried we can be a real pain - but Jabez asked to be delivered from evil so that his life would not be a Pain like his name, but a blessing.

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  • His prayer to be blessed meant that he would bless others – we can only give what we have got – when he was blessed he could be a blessing.

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  • We are told that God answered his prayer.  Isn’t that great?

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  • God blessed him

  • God widened his horizons

  • God’s hand was on his life

  • God delivered him from evil

 

  • We do not know exactly HOW God answered that prayer but we are told that He did and obviously that was in a way that was right for Jabez.

 

  • It’s a great prayer to pray for yourself and for others

 

  • God answers that prayer in different ways for different people!

 

  • And he will answer it for YOU in a way that is right for you.

 

  • Will you pray the prayer of Jabez for yourself today and often – will you pray that prayer for those you know and love – It’s a scriptural prayer - God will answer it when it is prayed sincerely and in faith believing.

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