OPEN: It’s reported that a preacher in Redrock, Mississippi prayed this sermon:
“Oh Lord, give Thy servant this mornin’ the eyes of the eagle and the wisdom of the owl; connect his soul with the gospel telephone in the central skies; ‘luminate his brow with the Sun of heaven; possess his mind with love for the people; turpentine his imagination, grease his lips with ‘possum oil, loosen his tongue with the sledge hammer of Thy power; ‘lectrify his brain with the lightnin’ of the word; put ‘petual motion on his arms; fill him plum full of the dynamite of Thy glory; ‘noint him all over with the kerosene oil of Thy salvation and SET HIM ON FIRE. Amen!”
We’d all agree, that was an unusual prayer.
APPLY: There are many unusual prayers throughout scripture, but the one we find here in I Chronicles 4 is perhaps one of the most unique. For centuries it has caught the attention of serious Bible students because - among other things - it pops up right in the middle of a text where you wouldn’t expect it: a very boring genealogy.
Vs.4-6 “Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah…. (and then) Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah. Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari.” And it goes on and on and on… Trust me, all that is important to somebody. It may not appeal to you or me –but it is important to someone.
But here, (in the midst of a very standard, very boring list), the Chronicler pauses and mentions this story about Jabez & his 2 sentence prayer.
When God does something like that (places the unusual in the midst of the commonplace) He tends to get our attention. And we realize as we read this, that God is using this contrast like a jeweler would use black velvet under a diamond to show off it’s beauty
The 2nd reason this prayer catches a Bible student’s attention is because it’s so short. It’s only 2 sentences long, and (depending on which version you read) less than 30 words. There’s not much to this prayer, but it may have been this prayer that set Jabez apart from the rest of his brothers. We’re told that Jabez was more honorable than his brothers – and this prayer is our only proof of that. AND THEN, after the prayer, we’re told - God granted his request. That’s the whole story of Jabez. Frankly, this has got to be quite a prayer to be that short and receive this much honor.
The last thing that attracts attention is the nature of the prayer: It seems so selfish. It’s all “me… me… me” "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.”
Somehow it just doesn’t seem saintly to pray such a self centered prayer… And yet (far from being offended), God’s impressed. God GRANTS Jabez’ request.
There’s a real popular book on the market just now that dwells on this prayer. In fact the author believes THE POWER OF HIS ministry has been directly tied to the fact he’s prayed it faithfully for the past 25 years or so. The author, Bruce Wilkinson has written: “This petition has radically changed what I expect from God and what I experience every day by His power.”
Brad (our youth minister) and I agree with him. We are so strongly convinced that this kind of prayer has power to shake the heavens, that we’ve covenanted to pray it consistently over the next few weeks.
Today we’re going to focus on the 1st of this prayer’s 4 sections: “Oh, that you would bless me”
What does this mean?
I. It helps to know, what happens when God blesses you.
According to scholars, we’re told that Jabez lived in Israel during the time of the Judges, right after Joshua and Israel had conquered Palestine. Men like Jabez were taught from childbirth about their great ancestor – Abraham. They would have heard again and again about the covenant God made with this patriarch. And a key part of God’s covenant with Abraham was this statement:
God said to Abraham: "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. Genesis 12:2
Now, there are some people who take a key verse out of scripture and make it their own. My own personal scripture has been Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” I have had this scripture placed on my calling cards ever since I entered the pulpit.
Similarly, I suspect that when Jabez heard this great promise from God to Abraham he said to himself: I want to be blessed like that!!! I believe he literally took that Scripture (Genesis 12:2) as his own personal text.
II. Now, if that’s true, then what kind of blessing did Abraham receive that Jabez would want?
Look back at Genesis 12:1ff and consider just two of the blessings mentioned there: God promised to:
Make Abraham’s name great (i.e. he would become a great man), and…
Make Abraham a blessing
Did God make good on those blessings? Did Abraham receive a “great name?” Well, to this day, if you mention name of Abraham, most know who you’re talking about. To this day, if you mention the name of Abraham, many will be able to tell you that because of his faithfulness, Israel became a nation. To this day, if you mention the name of Abraham many will know that he was the key beginning of Jesus’ ancestry. To this day, if you mention the name of Abraham, many, especially Christians should know that he has been called “the father of faithful.”
Indeed, Abraham received a great name. And because of his “great name” it was through him that all nations have been blessed, because it was through his lineage that Jesus was born.
Now Jabez may not have understood all the implications of God’s promises to Abraham in Genesis 12, but he had seen enough of what God had done in the name of Abraham that he deeply wanted that kind of a blessing…
BUT how does one go about receiving that kind of blessing? Well, when it comes to becoming a great man, a man with a great name, the Bible is very clear on how we receive that. In Luke 22:24-27 we’re told “…a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.
“For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.”
In other words, someone who aspires to be a great man or woman… a person who desires to have a great name is one who will be willing to be a servant. Or, said another way, if you or I want to make a difference with our lives, we need to understand this equation = the servant of all will be the greatest in the kingdom.
This is God’s way of people becoming great. They become great by having real value, by making a difference in this world. But not a difference based upon our good looks, our great riches or our grand homes. BUT BASED UPON OUR SERVANTHOOD.
III. The Blessing of Abraham is the blessing of becoming valuable.
In other words, if we are blessed in this way, we will achieve importance because it will matter that we lived. Most people don’t make a difference. It wouldn’t matter whether they lived or died, because they don’t add much to the world around them… they simply exist. They watch TV, play computer, putz around the house, go to work, go to sleep…. And then one day they die
There was a very cautious man
Who never laughed or played
He never risked, he never tried
He never sang or prayed
And when he one day passed away
His insurance was denied
For since he never really lived
They claimed he never died.
That’s a terrible epitaph to have on your tombstone, to have it said that we never really lived. The famous author Jack London realized that when he wrote: “I’d rather be ashes than dust. I would rather have my spark burn out in a brilliant blaze than be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and perseverant planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.”
If we receive the blessing of Abraham, God will make your life, a brilliant blaze, a superb meteor, a magnificent glow. It will matter that we lived.
IV. That’s what Brad & I have prayed for this church – that it would matter that we existed.
And I suspect somebody has always been praying for that blessing for us. Over the past 30 years this congregation has not only obtained this property and built this building, but we have baptized an untold number of people into Christ. We’ve supported numerous missionaries (US & Abroad). We’ve been involved (directly or indirectly) in the founding of several new churches. We’ve sent a number of part time missionaries to Honduras every summer for the past 20 years. And starting in September we’re planning to incorporate a daycare in this building.
You have received the blessing of Abraham that Jabez prayed for. Brad & I are just praying for even more of the same …AND over the next week we want you commit to this same prayer with us.
CLOSE: It is said that one day Michelangelo entered his studio to examine the work of his students. As he came to the painting of one of his favorite pupils, he stood and looked at it for a long time. Then, to utter surprise of the class, he suddenly took a brush and wrote one word across the canvas. That one word was amplius, meaning "larger" Michelangelo was not rejecting the work, for it exhibited great skill and was good as far as it went. But the small size of the canvas had make its design appear cramped. It needed to be expanded.
In a word, the prayer of Jabez was “amplius” that God make his life mean more and accomplish more for His kingdom of Israel. Our prayer is the same. That God would make our ministry bigger, our value greater, and that we would accomplish greater things for His Kingdom the Church.
Other Sermons in this Series:
Receiving The Blessing 1 Chronicles 4:9-4:10
The Prayer That God Answers 1 Chronicles 4:9-4:10
God Helps Those... 1 Chronicles 4:9-4:10
Feel My Pain 1 Chronicles 4:9-4:10
