Ten Ways to Be Enriched by God (I Chron 4:9,10)
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to know how to pray in a way that brings spiritual, emotional, mental and physical enrichment? Jabez prays for supernatural intervention and God responds with numerous blessings that are beyond human comprehension. When we call upon the Lord out of faith, hope and love we can expect God to do great things to enhance our lives. Here are ten aspects of the prayer of Jabez that instructs us in what to expect when we pray with heightened insights:
1. ENTHRONED - Jabez called on the God of Israel. This seemingly insignificant man who was born in pain sought to honor, glorify and expand the reknown of God by crying out to acknowledge the sovereign power of the Lord of the universe. When we pray let us praise, worship and adore the king of all creation. Let us hallow the name of the Lord God Almighty who reigns supreme over the affairs of all people, nations and events. Come before His presence with singing, but also in awesome reverence seeking to please Him in all aspects of life.
2. ENRICHMENT - Jabez asked God to bless Him indeed. He sought God’s favor for an increase of His strength, ability and holistic increase in all dimensions of life. Let us not be shy in asking the Lord to enrich our lives physically, emotionally, vocationally and spiritually. We have not because we ask not, but let us ask with proper motives so that it is clear we are not asking just for selfish enrichment.
3. ENABLEMENT - Jabez asked God to increase his capability to be a blessing to others. Many of us lack strength, courage and wisdom simply because we do not ask God to fill us with the Spirit’s supernatural capacities to accomplish all that He wants to do through our lives.
4. ENLARGEMENT - Jabez asked God to increase the sphere of his influence geographically, demographically and in all dimensions of influence. Some of us are settling for good ministries when we could have an increased influence in leading many to Christ and seeing many new ministries expanded quantitatively or qualitatively. When I served as a missionary in Nigeria for nearly twenty years, I asked God for many more churches and He answered by helping us start more than 650 churches.
5. ENERGIZATION - Jabez saw the Lord give Him supernatural strength to do things that would tire out most people. Consistently, this man of God saw the Lord renew, revive and reinvigorate him with new energy to accomplish supernatural work. Many people grow tired, apathetic and lax because they seem to lack the fire to remain enthused about their service.
If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
--1 Peter 4:11
To please God, a person must be just an instrument for God to use. For a few seconds, picture in your mind the variety of wonderful and useful appliances we have in our homes. They have been engineered and built to perform tasks of all kinds. But without the inflow of electrical power they are just lumps of metal and
plastic, unable to function and serve. They cannot do their work until power is applied from a dynamic outside source.
So it is in the work of God in the church. Many people preach and teach. Many take part in the music. Certain ones try to administer God’s work. But if the power of God’s Spirit does not have freedom to energize all they do, these workers might just as well stay home.
Natural gifts are not enough in God’s work. The mighty Spirit of God must have freedom to animate and quicken with His overtones of creativity and blessing. Tragedy in the Church: The Missing Gifts, 5-6.
"Lord, deliver us from our dependency on natural gifts. We hunger for effectiveness in Your work, but too seldom turn loose to let Your power flow through us. (Insight for Leaders)
6. ENDURANCE - Jabez saw the Lord impart to him a perserving spirit to continue to lead for many years. WE know that the Lord gives courage, consistency and completion of the work He begins in us when we are relying on His word, Spirit and promises.
7. ENVISIONING - Jabez saw in advance the blessings that God wanted to bestow upon him with greater faith, hope and love for God. Let us ask the Lord to give us greater perspectives to see new opportunities to serve Him with greater righteousness, holiness and truth. Many are limited by their perceptions of God’s will for their lives.
8. EXCHANGE - Jabez sought to replace the worn out efforts of the flesh with the new blessings of the Spirit of God. Let us ask the Lord to help us put away the works of the flesh (envy, jealousy, wrath, slander, complaining, lust, self-pity) and put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, faithfulness, forgiveness, holiness, obedience, witnessing etc.)
9. EVER-PRESENT HELP - Jabez prayed for God’s ever present help in his time of trouble and the Lord delivered him from all of his troubles. When we call on the Lord we are most blessed when we are filled with His presence, His person and His Spirit’s attributes. Let us seek the Lord and His face. Let us seek Him continually not just when we are facing crisis, conflicts or problems.
10. EMPOWERING - Jabez sought the Lord for enhanced power, authority and a sense of God’s greater influence in all areas of life. May the Lord grant us a greater emotional, relational and mental sense of His empowerment to accomplish all the things He wants to do in and through and with your life.
11. ENCOURAGEMENT - Jabez knew that there is encouragement in God, fellowship in the Spirit, affection and compassion and consolation of love. Without the Lord’s encouragement we all tend to feel discouraged, disgruntled and sink in to a state of despair about our circumstances. Let us ask the Lord for a fresh infusing of His ebullience.
