A lot can be learned of how a man’s life is spent at the conclusion of his days. History on all of us is still being written. For most of us, we have not reached the apex of our existence. There are chapters to be written in our lives that we cannot imagine.
There are chapters of joy.
There are chapters of sorrow.
There are chapters of laughter.
There are chapters of tears.
There are chapters of heartache.
There are chapters of heartbreak.
There are chapters of the thrill of victory.
There are chapters of the agony of defeat.
Perhaps this should be encouraging to anyone who’s going through something right now. Your final chapter is yet to be written. It’s not over yet. Life has yet to have its final crescendo.
So the question is this: What if life terminated right now? What if life ebbed from your body at this very movement? What would be said of your relationship with the Lord?
Would they say you loved the Lord?
Would they say you worshiped the Lord?
Would they say you gave your best in service?
And would they be able to say that you had a unique and effective prayer life? In other words - are your prayers answered or are they glued to the ceiling of your room? Do your prayers reach the throne room of God or are they placed on hold? Do your prayers move God or do they move you? Do your prayers capture the attention of God or are they ignored?
There can be a powerful principle that can be learned in this room at this hour: and that principle is that God wants to enable His children - He wants to make you a man of answered prayers or a woman of answered prayers.
Many of us have been led to believe that we can’t have a power filled prayer life. That you have to live to such a standard that is off of the map. That you have to wear white all of the time and you have to be on your knees twenty-four seven.
Prayers are not effectual because you assume a physical posture - prayers are made effectual because you assume a spiritual posture.
Prayers are not effectual because you pray in a church building - prayers are made effectual when you understand that your spiritual house needs to communicate to the Heavenly father.
Prayers are not effectual because you make a lot of noise on earth - prayers are made effectual when the Lord inclines His ear to hear your faintest cry.
It is important to understand the wonderful possibility that this raises - God, the Heavenly Father, the creator of Heaven and Earth - has the capability of hearing and granting your request.
However, also understand that there are some things that we need to glean from a study of this text that will place this truth in clear context.
First, God is Able to Grant Requests
The epitaph of Jabez’s life is now recorded. He is not lauded for being a great humanitarian. He is not lauded for being a great churchman. He is not even lauded for being a good community citizen. He is noted for being in the position of unique relationship with God.
God’s relationship with Jabez is that of Jehovah-Jireh. God is a provider. Anybody here knows that He is a provider? He has the ability, because of His divine nature to grant the request of men and women, boys and girls.
Somebody here should know that God has ability to provide because He is not limited in His resources. He’s unlimited in resources.
If you need healing - He has healing power.
If you need employment - He has jobs available.
If you need companionship - He has arms that can envelope you.
If you need finances - He has banks that grant loans to people with bad credit.
If you need friends - He has people waiting to strengthen your life.
If you need to raise your children by yourself - He has patience available for you.
Not only does God has the resources available for you. But this text suggests that God’s method of delivery is not cold and impersonal. The Hebrew word here is “bow” and it does not mean that the Angels deliver it. It does not mean the Seraphims deliver it. But the resources of God are delivered by God himself.
That’s good news. God would not allow anyone else to handle the blessings that He causes in my life. I believe a reason for that is that God does not want any delivery problems.
God doesn’t want your blessings being sent to the wrong address.
God doesn’t want your healing sent to another person.
God doesn’t want your miracle sent to the wrong house.
But God delivers! And he does it in four ways:
First off, God has a way to lead you into His answer. He has a way of bringing you through some things to see it for yourself.
Secondly, God has a way of carrying you into His answer. When you’ve done all you can, God will navigate your circumstances and bring you to the point of your answer.
Thirdly, God has a way of causing your answer to come to you. He’ll move upon people around you to provide for your answer and to help you in the time of your need.
And lastly, God will bring it to pass. He will personally usher to you the answer. He will confound the critics. Upset the odds and make sure that your prayer gets answered. Even if your life has not warranted special arrangements, if He desires that you need it and He has it available - He will bring it to pass.
Somebody here should have already experienced these four ways of delivery:
You heard that weeping endures for a night but joy comes in the morning. But God allowed you to go through your night of pain and agony and He brought you out on the other side. You cried all night long and you kept trusting in the Lord and then - your breakthrough came through. And you found out for yourself that He may not come when you want Him to but He’s always on time.
You didn’t know how you were going to get to work. You woke up and found out that your car was on “E” and you didn’t have a dime for gas. You drove to work anyhow. Then you drove back home. The next morning, you still didn’t have any money, but you drove to work anyhow. Then you drove back home. You got confident and figured if God could do it once and twice, He could do it again. Your car bucked on the way to the job, but you made it and when you got there - one of your co-workers finally paid you back the money they borrowed months ago. You found out for yourself that He leadeth me beside the still waters - my cup runneth over.
You wanted that loan. And the bank told you that your credit was so bad that you could not qualify for a loan. Then as you walk out the door the Credit Officer mentions that if you could find a cosigner the bank would accept the application. You went to all of your friends - and they all said no. And then you exhausted all of your resources and you talked to the friend whom you didn’t even ask because you know that they didn’t have any credit - and they told you let me go down there and you got the loan. You found out that God will open doors that no man can close . . .
You needed some peace of mind in your soul. You’ve tried to find peace by drinking alcohol. You’ve tried to find peace by smoking joint after joint. You’ve tried to find peace by throwing yourself into illicit sexual situations. You’ve tried to find peace by lying, stealing and doing things that you never thought you would do. But you heard the voice of Jesus say, come unto me and rest.
Yes, God has riches untold!
If you’re sick - He’s a doctor.
If you’re lonely - He’s a company keeper.
If you’re happy - He can still give you joy.
If you’re struggling - He’ll help you over that mountain.
If you’re troubled - He’s a problem solver.
If you’re in financial problem - He’s a banker without banker hours.
He’ll find you wherever you are at He’ll answer your need at the place of your need. You can talk to Him in a building miles away and He’ll heal your family member on their bed of affliction.
He can hear you on Harrison and work it out in Encanto.
He can hear you on Harrison and move downtown.
He can hear you on Harrison and straighten it out in Spring Valley.
He can hear you on Harrison and change it in Chula Vista.
He can hear you on Harrison and prepare it on the 94 freeway.
Secondly, God Grants Requests With Wisdom
Before you run out and go to Seven Eleven and say “Lord bless my six lottery numbers” and “Lord bless me to find a million dollars on the street on my way from home” - you need to hear this God grants requests with wisdom.
I don’t recall Jabez asking the Lord for long life. He didn’t even ask the Lord to not allow diseases to come near him. He didn’t petition the Lord for a house on the hill. He asked requests that fall within the parameters of the will of the Lord.
In other words, God is apt to answer prayers that align with His will. Look at the four components of his prayer:
First - that God would bless me.
Secondly - that God would enlarge my territory.
Thirdly - that God would extend His hand toward me.
Fourthly - that God would keep me from evil.
These things fall within the parameter of His will. God will answer these prayers because they do not conflict with His will.
Praying, Lord kill my co-worker is not in His will.
Praying, Lord beat up on my neighbor is not in His will.
Praying, Lord help me become a meaner person is not in His will.
Praying, Lord help me cuss out my church member is not in His will.
Praying, Lord don’t let the police catch me as I run this Red Light is not in His will.
His will is at stake. Not only is His will at stake, anything that you ask God for - the end result has to be that He would be glorified. Anything you ask the Lord for, the end result must be that God would be glorified.
I get blessed not so that I can get a bigger bank account, but that God would be glorified.
I get my territory enlarged not that I can brag on my personal bigness, but that God would be glorified.
I feel his hand not so that I can a cold chill down my spine every now and then, but that God would be glorified.
I get kept from evil not so that I can tell others I’m holier than you, but that God would be glorified.
That’s how His will works . . . His will generates a view to His glory. When you look at what God has done for you, you can’t point to yourself.
David sits on the Throne in Israel. He didn’t get there on his own educational merit. God called Him in a Shepherd’s field. And when he arrives in the King’s Palace he writes the words, “the Lord is my shepherd . . . ”
Israel is delivered from the hands of Pharaoh and his armies. Not because they owned weapons of mass destruction. But because God allows the enemy to be swallowed up. And when the enemy is defeated, Miriam writes a song for the occasion that says, “Our God is a Man of War. Pharaohs Chariots and his rider - God has thrown them into the sea.”
Jesus is affixed to a rugged cross. His disciples have fled into yonder country. It looks like all hope is gone. Life oozes from his body and when He dies, the world reels and rocks. Time has become divided from B.C. to A.D. And a centurion evaluates it and says “truly, this must have been the son of God.”
Somebody here today God has done some things for you . . .
Somebody here today has made it through . . .
Somebody here has become victorious and not a victim . . .
You have made it through a broken marriage . . .
You have made it through hard headed children . . .
You have made it on food stamps and hand me downs . . .
You have made it through broken hearts and broken promises . . .
You have made it through tuna fish sandwiches and biscuits and syrup . . .
You have made it through clothes lines and scrub boards . . .
You have made it through hair grease that became skin lotion and shoe polish . . .
You have made it through trials and tribulations . . .
You have made it through being broke, busted and disgusted . . .
You have made it through an abuse when you were a child . . .
You have made it through health problems . . .
You have made it through rape when you were a young girl . . .
You have made it through molestation that you couldn’t tell anybody about . . .
You have made it through a drug habit . . .
You have made it through a prison term . . .
You have made it through friends walking away and never coming back . . .
You have made it through funeral processions and tears of sorrow . . .
You have made it through the valley of the shadow of death . . .
You have made it through personal shipwrecks and trouble . . .
You made it even though Breakers were dashing around you . . .
You made it even though The waves are clapping their hands . . .
You made it even though the billows rolled . . .
You have made it through . . .
But the Glory does not belong to you . . . It belongs to the Lord. Anybody here, ready to give God some glory! Anybody here ready to say it is not about me - but it’s all about Him. It’s all about Him. It’s not about me and my condition. It’s all belongs to Him. Look at me now - but I’m going to point to Him.
When you look at me - I’m going to point you to the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is about pointing us back to the Son.
The Son is about pointing us back to the Father.
You’ve got to tell it - to let somebody know He’s able!
You’ve got to tell it - to let somebody know He’s a doctor!
And he’ll leave you with a testimony....
Thorough it all
I’ve learned how to trust in Jesus
I’ve learned how to trust in God
I’ve learned how to wait on Him
I’ve learned how to pray
I’ve learned how to fast
I’ve learned how to depend on him
I’ve learned how to believe in Him
I’ve learned how to give him glory
I’ve learned how to wave my hands
I’ve learned how to praise His name
I’ve learned how to give Him Glory..............close
