We read in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, "Because I bore him with pain. Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!" And God granted him what he requested.” (NASB)
Jabez overcame pain with prayer
There are two words in this passage that we will highlight and study in detail. One is the name ‘Jabez’ and the other is the word ‘pain’. When Jabez was born, his mother went through such remarkable pain, that she named him ‘Jabez’ which literally means ‘I bore him in pain’. It must have been strange for Jabez to have been referred to by everyone this way, but Jabez knew that he could go to God, who could absolutely change his painful past to one of jubilance and joy. That is why when Jabez prayed to the Lord, the Lord answered his prayers, and granted his requests.
All of us yearn that the Lord will give heed to our prayers, and answer them. When prayers are not answered, we are often brimming with questions as to why this is so. Jesus said, ‘ask and you will receive’ and our God is a promise keeping God. Therefore, when prayers are hindered or unanswered, it is certain that the fault lies with us, and not with God. Sometimes when faced with unforeseen difficulties, people resign themselves to the thought that this could be their fate. Like Jabez it doesn’t really matter how the onset of our life was, if we can trust in the Lord, He can change our bleak past into a brilliant future. Doesn’t matter what our present situation is, we have a God who is able to replace all of our brokenness with his wholeness. That is why Jesus came down to this earth. The Lord has planned to accomplish marvelous deeds through each one of us. So, irrespective of how downcast we feel, if we have faith in the Lord, and pray fervently, God can take us to great heights that we never ever dreamt of reaching.
Jabez distinguished himself from his brothers
Though Jabez was given birth with much pain, and the name stuck to him, yet we read that Jabez was more honorable than all his brothers. Jabez decided that he would strive to be one who would distinguish himself from those around him. He therefore lived by principles in his life that were more honorable than his brothers.
The Lord has called us to be a distinct people, and not be those who will blend in with the world. Like Jabez, we too must desire to be those who are excellent, and outstanding among all those around us. Many people have made the prayer of Jabez to sound like some sort of mantra, which when repeated several times can bring about alterations to their lives. Like Jabez, we too must have the zeal to be different from those around us in our walk, our talk and all our dealings, whereby the Lord will be glorified in every area of our lives. In our place of work we must be so esteemed, that people testify that we are those who fear the Lord, and honor Him in everything.
David found it necessary to examine his life in the presence of the Lord, and that is why he prayed in Psalm 139: 23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”(NKJV)
It is important that we search ourselves often in God’s presence like David did, for ofttimes we are unable to identify our personal faults and failings. Instead of shifting blame on those around us, it is beneficial that we analyze ourselves and set our lives in order before the Lord.
God will do His part, if we are willing to do ours
Our tendency when we study the life of someone in the Bible is to only observe their high points, not realizing all that it took for them to get there. For instance, if we regard the life of Joseph, he had to go through thirteen years of extreme misery and hardships. He was falsely accused, thrown into prison, but through it all he remained true, and faithful to God.
The Lord saved Daniel by shutting the mouth of hungry lions, and brought about a great deliverance. However, in order to get there, Daniel disciplined himself to pray three times a day, defying the King’s edict, so as to honor God.
Shadrach, Meshack, Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace, but the Lord stood with them and delivered them. This was only because they were zealous for the Lord, and decided to stand up for God no matter what others said or did.
The entire Israel army was running away in dread at the sight of Goliath, but David went with five pebbles and a sling, in the strength of the Lord. It was only when David took the step of faith, that the Lord granted him an astounding victory.
Saul on meeting the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, had his life totally transformed to become Paul the Apostle. The reason for this dramatic change was because the first thing Paul asked the Lord when he encountered Him was, ‘Lord what do you want me to do?’ thereby surrendering his life to the Lord completely.
God is willing to do his part, but the question is are we willing to do what’s ours? If we are not willing to change where we should, give up those things that are displeasing to God, we cannot expect God’s blessings, and his approval on us. Like Paul we must sincerely seek the Lord to find out what is His will, and purpose for our lives. Instead of placing a list of personal requests to the Lord, if we can train ourselves to ask the Lord what He plans for us to accomplish every day, we will be awed to know all that God has purposed to fulfill in and through us. We often long to be freed from all those fiery trials that confront us, but we are not willing to live uncompromised lives.
The Lord eagerly desires to see in us the faithfulness of Joseph, the prayer life of Daniel, the courage of David, the zeal of Shadrach, Meshack, Abednego and the surrender of Paul in our everyday lives.
Jabez prayed the Lord keep him from pain
Jabez who had been birthed in pain, and was named ‘pain or sorrow’ is apprehensive that his life should not end with pain. He prayed in 1 Chronicles 4:10 to God to preserve him any harm that might pain him. He sought the Lord to protect him, even before any harm befell.
The woman who waited for 12 years
In Mark 5:25-26, we read, “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,” (KJV)
The condition of this woman was that she was suffering with an issue of blood for twelve years. She had wasted all her resources in consulting several doctors, and had languished much with no relief whatsoever. Instead of improvement, her health had deteriorated. It was in such a predicament that she came to the Lord, as one who had no hope, and had lost all of her possessions. The instant that this woman touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, she was completely healed.
There are some who argue that they would come to the Lord only if He answers their prayers, and granted them what they wished for. There are others who after having wasted all of their resources seeking human intervention, and finding no relief to their situations, pursue after God as a last resort. There is nothing wrong with going to a physician for treatment, but it would be wise to firstly call on the Lord for healing, rather than keep God as the last alternative. To those who are spiraling downward, trying so hard to sort out all the mess in their lives, the Lord gently reminds us, that if they can look to Him instead, everything will change for the better. When we commit those insurmountable difficulties to the Lord, He can intervene and transform them instantaneously.
Jabez prayed to the God of Israel
In 1 Chronicles 4:10 we read, Jabez called on the God of Israel. Who was this God of Israel?
We read in Exodus 5:1-2, “And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.” (KJV)
When Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, King of Egypt and announced to him that the Lord God of Israel sent them to him with the instruction that he should let the people of Israel go, it greatly upset Pharaoh. His angry retort to Moses and Aaron was, ‘Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go?’ He went on to say that he neither knew the Lord, not would he let the people of Israel go out of Egypt.
The God of Israel is the Almighty God
We read in Exodus 12:31-32, “And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.” (KJV)
A lot transpired between chapters 5 and 12 of Exodus. The Lord manifested His mighty power to Pharaoh, and the people of Egypt. Pharaoh was a powerful King, who had a strong army, built magnificent structures and was hardened beyond understanding. Finally, the hand of the Lord rested heavily on the people of Egypt, executing death of the first born in every house, beginning with the house of Pharaoh to the person who was least in Egypt. The very same Pharaoh who arrogantly refused the let the people of Israel go out of Egypt, who threatened Moses and Aaron saying he never wanted to see their face again, called for Moses and Aaron by night and begged them to leave along with all their flocks and herds. Pharaoh who questioned earlier saying, ‘Who is this LORD?’ was now in surrender and exclaimed ‘Go and serve the LORD’ and he also added ‘bless me also’.
When we obey the Lord like Moses and Aaron did, truly the power of God will be manifested in and through us. When the Lord is with us, every other earthly authority will not despise us, but respect us. It is only when we know the Lord for who He really is, those around us will come to us and long for us to bless them, because they will recognize that the Lord is in us. We must decide to lead surrendered and holy lives, with no compromise, praying to the Lord to make us a great blessing. Jesus is the King of Kings, and every authority is subject to His Lordship and Sovereignty. When we are challenged with those difficult people who do not respect us, and cause us great deal of trouble, here’s what we should do; continue to live as obedient children of God, and He will turn the tables, so that those very same people who bothered us earlier, will come to us for favors and blessings. We must indeed obey the authority that God has placed over us, but we must not be threatened by anyone, for no one is above God.
The God of Israel is a holy God
In Joshua 7:13, we read, “Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.”(KJV)
The God of Israel is a most holy God. The people of Israel won a great victory over the city of Jericho, and God accomplished it for them. However, when sin came into Israel, the Lord admonished them that unless the unholy thing was removed, they would fall prey to the attack of their enemies. Though the people of Israel were His own, the Lord refused to give them victory when there was sin in the camp, as He is a holy God who cannot tolerate sin.
Without holiness we cannot live a life that is pleasing to God. For example, a person may take great care of their mobile phone, and maintain it meticulously on the outside, but could be viewing all kinds of obscenity and defiling themselves with it. Religion gives man various rituals by which he can look clean on the outside, but it is only the Lord Jesus who can cleanse us from within. We must commit our lives to the Lord, and ask His help to get rid of anything and everything that defiles us. The ones whom God condemned much when He as here on earth, were the Sadducees and the Pharisees. He referred to them as white washed tombs, which looked beautiful on the outside, but inside were full of dead men’s bones because while their outsides looked flawless, their insides were corrupt.
The Lord can change our circumstances just like He did for Jabez, but for that to happen there are two things the Lord requires of us. Firstly we must acknowledge that He is the sovereign Lord who is Almighty, and that He is our most Holy God. The Lord admonishes us to be holy just as He is holy, and this implies that our walk is consistent in church, at home, at work or wherever else we may be.
We read in Psalm 96:9, “O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.”(KJV)
Jabez lived an honorable life, and he prayed to the God of Israel, the Almighty and Holy God. God granted him his request and He turned his sorrow away. Let us like Jabez acknowledge who God is, and decide to live a holy life that He is calling us to. If we do our part, and give God the glory and honor, he will transform our situations, turn our pains to joy, and our sorrow to gladness.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
