5-12-08 The Prayer of Jabez
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 Jabez prayer gets answered
Before we get to this verse
there are other verses concerning getting prepared for ministry.
Such as:
1.Lord, enlarge my heart Psalms 119:32
2.Present your bodies a living sacrifice, which is your reasonable service Rom 12:1
3.Paul said “I die daily”
4.Azuza Street leader, and his chicken crate (he stuck his head inside of a chicken crate and prayed daily until revival fell.)
5.David: “Create in me a clean heart”.
6.Paul: “that I may know him and the power of His resurrection”.
7.God gave Moses another heart “if you are going to destroy Israel, just take my name off too”. (He became addicted to those to whom he was sent to minister).
8.“Saul was turned into another man” 1Samuel 10:6 ***********
9.“God gave Saul another heart” 1 Samuel 10:9 ***********
9And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. 10And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
1.Jabez: most honorable of all of his brothers.
2.His mother was in great sorrow, when he was born.
3.Jabez prayed to God (Jehovah, the God of Israel)
4.And said: I need a very big blessing.
5.God please enlarge my span of influence (coasts)
6.God I must have your hand of deliverance with me at all times.
7.God, I need you to keep me from evil. (especially from myself).
8.My own wickedness, hurts me the most (least I grieve in prison)
9.And God gave him exactly what he asked for.
Chaplain beavers thought for today: I am my own worst enemy.
If I could only conquer the flesh man tied up inside me.
Paul said: There is a dead man tied to me.
Paul said: I have a thorn in my flesh. (Satan buffets me with it).
Why was Jabez more honorable?
we are not told
it may have been for his courage and trust
it may have been his eagerness to learn Godly ways!
It may have been for his piety he had for other men.
Jabez called upon God!
It was the habit of his life
It was his action every day
He was known for all of this
This lay at the foundation of his courage
The prayer of Jabez is:
1.Earnest:
2.Full of desire for God
3.It is a thorough prayer (covered most areas of his life)
4.He asks for no partial blessing
His prayer covers: “Enlarge my Coast”
more territory to my people and myself
more power and more wealth
one should never separate spiritual from wealth
- (i.e.) never sow seed just for wealth
- (i.e.) We should not just seek wealth
- the word of God says “seek ye the Kingdom of God and all this shall be added to you.” Luke 12:31 (the next verse says it even in more detail)
- “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matt 6:33
- under the New Testament, we should never seek wealth, but seek the God who gives wealth. (true wealth comes in the seek God package)..
- Jabez was asking for earthly and temporal blessings
- Remember, he was living under the Old Testament
We should never fear enlargement
- we should fear harm and danger in the process
- perversion (be sure enlargement never changes us for the bad)
- wealth can change us (make us greedy, ugly in our spirit)
- corruption (can cause us to become dishonest)
- the coming in of harmful elements
Summary of this prayer:
“And that thine hand might be with me”.
So let us seek preservation from ( to be saved from, to be preserved from)
- evil
- evil inward, and outward ( our own, and that of our enemies)
- seek preservation by watchfulness
- seek preservation by prayer
By totally depending on God
- go on without limit
- go on without fear (as long as we retain our right relationship)
- as long as we keep control of our own heart
Never forget this truth: “The heart is wicked continuously”
- our own heart can deceive us
- establish the heart upon the divine character of God
- keep your heart, linked to the truths of Gods Word.
- shored up on either side by Divine Blessing and Divine Care.
