Drawing Closer to God
The Prayer of Jabez
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
For the past few weeks we’ve been looking at the Lord’s Prayer as a prayer to help us move closer to God and experience His grace and power. As I’ve said, most of us struggle with experiencing that power and presence of God. So, It’s been my hope that using these prayers will help us as James 4 tells us - - to draw near to God and experience God’s drawing nearer to us.
This week we’re going to look at a prayer writer Bruce Wilkinson popularized in 2005 when he wrote a book aptly called The Prayer of Jabez. This little, easy to read book became an instant success. Over 10 million have been sold. I believe it was successful because we all long to experience the presence and power of God. So, it touched a nerve, a longing we all have.
I think the draw to this book was the hope for many people that they could just recite the scripture and presto! Poof!! They would be blessed by God with not much work on their part. I think those folks were sorely disappointed. They didn’t want a relationship with Jesus, instead, they wanted a genie.
I’m not going to try to replicate a sermon series or the book, but just to move through these 2 verses about a man and his prayer and what it may mean for us, and how we could use this prayer to help us move closer to God.
Let’s look at this story and prayer which is found in 1 Chronicles 4 - - -
9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked. - 1 Chronicles 4:9-10
That’s it! That’s the entire story! It’s short and quick. People have gravitated to this prayer and have prayed it daily and say they’ve been blessed by it. But it’s more than just saying a prayer. It’s what the prayer means which is what’s important. Just like the Lord’s Prayer, it’s using the prayer of Jabez for a reason, it’s knowing what’s behind what you’re praying. So, let’s take look at what this story and prayer means for us.
This passage starts with some background on Jabez.
9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”
We know there was something about Jabez that made him more honorable than his brothers.
Maybe that’s a little clue that we need to recognize as well. Character speaks volumes. Not just with the world but with God. Who are you when nobody’s looking? Who are you when people are around you? Are you different? If someone was to say your name, what would their first comments about you be? Character is also about perception, because perception is reality. I can’t stress that enough. If people think something about you, whether it’s true or not, it’s true to them.
I believe Jabez could go to God in prayer and ask because he had great character. I don’t believe, and I’m projecting a bit, that He often went to God in prayer. God didn’t have to search His heavenly rolodex to see who this guy was. They were on first name basis.
So, we know he was honorable and something that will come up later is that his mother experienced a great deal of pain in childbirth.
Let’s get into the prayer . . .
10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me,
The first step, and I know it sounds almost over simplistic is to call out to God. It’s starting the communication process called prayer. It’s starting the conversation with God. We don’t know why Jabez called out to God, yet, the sense is that he trusted in God’s response to his prayer.
That’s another important aspect, that we expect to hear from God as we call out to Him in prayer. The first part of that prayer is a request that God would bless him.
There are a couple of important points to make with this request. Firstly, we can ask God for blessings. I’ve said this before, when I became a Christian, I didn’t think I should pray for myself. I thought that was somehow wrong. I’ve learned over time God wants me to make my personal requests known to Him.
I believe it’s also OK to ask God for blessings. It’s not to say, Lord help me win the lottery and requests like that. Jabez seeks to be blessed by God. Again, it’s a matter of the heart, the character of Jabez.
It’s an admission from Jabez that all blessings come from God. Lord bless me, not Lord help me to be good enough; to be self sufficient so I can make my own blessings and do it on my terms. It’s Lord, bless me because you are the author of all blessings and I trust you for those blessings.
Also, notice he doesn’t tell God which blessings are OK and which are not. He leaves that to God’s discretion. Lord bless me, I’ll take whatever blessings you have for me. It doesn’t mean you can’t make specific requests to God, but it’s not to pin God down to give me money, or wealth or fame or anything like that. Just bless me Lord!
Note this about blessings - - - -
They are not just about bless me with money and fortune and lots of toys. That may be where some people get confused.
We can pray for blessings in terms of spiritual blessings. Lord give me a new passion for you, bless me as I pray, read the Bible, worship. Lord, bless me as I seek to draw closer to you, to experience your power and presence. Help me to bless others because I experience your grace, mercy and power. Help me to experience your peace, grant to me wisdom and understanding, bless me with your grace for others.
We can ask for financial blessings. But not so we can take that vacation, but so we can give back to build God’s kingdom. Bless me in my financial decisions. Help me to trust in your provisions. Help me to give back that as I experience your blessings I pour back to you. Help me to be a good steward.
Lord, bless me physically, emotionally and mentally! I need you, without you, I’m a mess, but with you I can do all things. So encourage and empower me as I seek your blessings.
Now Jabez prays that God would enlarge his border!
10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and ENLARGE MY BORDER, and that your hand might be with me,
We could say Jabez asked God to give him more territory, more influence, larger borders. He asked God to expand his world – that would be spiritually, emotionally, financially, relationally and in all of life.
It’s a prayer where we’re asking God to give us more influence. Not to make us more popular or a great social media star, but we seek God’s blessings so we can be fulfilled in our calling. That our influence would increase so we could impact other lives.
Some may say this was all about enlarge his land, his property, but I see this as a request to increase his spiritual impact upon others. Sometimes in order to impact others we need to stop and look at how we view the world around us. Do we have a lot of prejudices, are we against those who are not like us. We can ask those questions so that we have a greater opportunity to be more Christlike and have a greater impact on others.
Do we walk around with arrogance and pride, or do we practice humility? Do we do things for our glory or for the glory of God’s kingdom? Can you objectively answer those questions?
Ask God to increase your sphere of influence so that you could bring honor and glory to God as you make a difference in the world, doing it for God. You can even ask God to give you a deeper love for those who don’t know Jesus, for those who are broken and lost, so that you could be used by God in a mighty way. You can ask God to open your eyes to the hurting. To give you courage to move beyond your comfort zone, yet, giving you a passion for serving.
And sometimes, it’s just finding a way to serve and give back wherever you are.
Next Jabez prayed - - -
10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and THAT YOUR HAND MIGHT BE WITH ME.
I believe Jabez wanted God to be in every moment of his day. He understood the power of God’s hand, God’s presence to protect and to lead him. When you pray, request more than blessings and provision but that God’s hand would lead you through any circumstances and trials that come your way. That in itself can turn into a blessing.
You pray for God’s righteous right hand to strengthen and protect you. Pray that God’s hand would lead you, protect you and be all sufficient for your life. God’s hand would guide you as you experience His power and presence each day.
When you feel someone’s hand upon you, there’s a feeling of peace and calm. It’s when someone puts their hand on your shoulder or they hold your hand, or you even know that they are carrying you in the palm of their hands
It’s the reminder from that great verse in Isaiah 41:10 - -
10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
That’s the prayer. Experiencing God’s personal presence in your life so that you can do His will.
You can pray - - - “Lord, let Your hand be with me; I’ve chosen to walk with You. I’ve chosen Your Word and Your way. Thank You that I don’t have to fear because You are with me. You strengthen me, help me, and uphold me with Your righteous right hand. Lead me, protect me, strengthen me, and be an all-sufficient hand for my life. I’m so thankful that You are with me.
And finally we come to the final of the 4 requests - - -
10 . . . and that YOU WOULD KEEP ME FROM HARM so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.
Over the past few weeks we were looking at the Lord’s Prayer and this is similar to the phrase - - lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.
That’s the idea of this next part of Jabez’s prayer. He’s asking God to keep him from evil and to keep evil from him. That should be part of our daily prayer as well. To help us not walk into temptation and keep us from evil, from doing wrong, from hurting others and sinning.
We’ve talked about putting on the whole armor of God to protect ourselves from satan. It’s to resist those temptations which lead us from God and glorifying Him. Ultimately, we know that we are strong in Christ. We use His strength and power to help us defeat evil and resist it as well.
We can confess our sin to God as we seek His protection. We can also pray for protection for our family, friends and our church. We can ask for protection from situations that we are walking into. For example if you’re going to have a difficult discussion, you can pray for protection and not to be harmed and not to harm others.
Finally, Jabez asked God - - -
10 . . . and that you would keep me from harm SO THAT IT MIGHT NOT BRING ME PAIN!” And God granted what he asked. - 1 Chronicles 4
If we go back to verse 9, part of the story tells us ---
9 ... his mother called his name Jabez, “Because I bore him in pain.
The name Jabez means “born with pain.” Not a great name to grow up. Do you think he was called a pain a time or two by other kids? When Jabez prays, he speaks against the testimony of his name and lets go of the shame it covered him in. When you pray, come to God vulnerable and ready for Him to turn your weakness into a strength and for God’s glory.
This request is for God to transform his life, bless him, and allow him to not be a person of grief or a person who caused grief. In other words, Jabez asked God to transform his pain and his name into something beautiful. God take something bad and turn it into something good. We see that throughout the Bible in so many other stories.
God can take our pasts, our mistakes, our deepest sorrows, our sinfulness and use them in amazing ways - - - if we will just surrender them to Him. What do you need God to transform in your life today?
When we pray, why not invite God to turn your greatest sorrow into your greatest victory?
Your deepest pains into a beautiful, powerful time of healing?
You can surrender all of your hurt that has weighed you down, so that God’s hand would guide you and bless you so that you no longer experience pain and do not cause pain to others.
Where there has been pain, would you allow something new to be born?
And in almost a matter of fact manner, we are told - - -
10 And God granted what he asked. - 1 Chronicles 4:9-10
God answered Jabez’s prayers. And, what God did for Jabez, He is also able to do for us!
Jabez was not using prayer as a formula to get something from God, rather He was calling upon God to help him accomplish the promises of God! Let’s dive in and see how this Old Testament prayer can be applied today as we seek God’s provision and leading in our lives.
So, let’s take the last few minutes and use the prayer of Jabez as a means of praying. As in the past few weeks, I’ll lead you in prayer as we draw closer to God.
