The Prayer of Jabez
• Found in I Chronicles 4:9-10
“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "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." And God granted his request.”
I don’t believe Jabez was more honorable than his brothers because of his prayer. Instead I believe his prayer is a beautiful demonstration of his honorable character. Let’s look at what Jabez was asking for.
• Jabez sought:
God’s blessing
If there is one thing the Bible tells us over and over again, it is how to be blessed. Psalm 1 tells us we are blessed by walking a godly walk. Psalm 32 tells us we are blessed when we experience forgiveness for sin. The Beattitudes tell us a number of attitudes that will achieve God’s blessing.
Why does the Bible spend so much time telling us how to be blessed? Obviously, it is God’s will to bless us. It is God’s will for us to dwell in happiness. It is God’s will to do something grand and glorious in our lives that brings this eternal, bubbling, joy that causes us to rejoice in His presence even in tough times. God wants to bless us. Therefore, when we show God the respect to ask for His blessing we are normally on solid spiritual ground and can look for his blessing
Increased Responsibility
Jabez’ request for more territory wasn’t just a naked cry for wealth. If Jabez was focused on riches and wealth then he would not be more honorable than his brethren. God condemns the love of money, yet some preachers claim that Jabez’ prayer was a Faith Statement seeking material wealth.
I believe Jabez was asking God for more responsibility. He was asking for God to increase his sphere of influence. He was asking God to give him more to do.
Too many believers take the Word-Faith position on this passage, seeking God’s financial blessing only. The danger of this position is that their relationship with God becomes tied to financial blessings rather than a commitment to the Father. I call this the “Prodigal Son Syndrome” because it is so prevalent in churches today. This syndrome occurs whenever a believer begins to seek financial blessing from God without the responsibilities of commitment. Isn’t that exactly what the Prodigal Son did? He sought his inheritance (based on his father’s love) and rejected the responsibilities of sonship.
I know that parents would be impressed if their child came in and said, “Mom, Dad, I’ve cleaned my room, taken the trash out, and mowed the lawn. Do you have anything else I should do to help out around the house?” We would immediately think he was asking for monetary compensation. However, what would happen if your child came to you and expressed a desire to do more with the purpose of pleasing you.
I believe that Jabez expected a financial reward, but his purpose was deeper. I believe he was looking for a way to serve God in bigger and bolder ways.
Jesus said that the servant who is faithful in few things becomes ruler over many. When is the last time you asked God for a new assignment? When is the last time you asked God to increase your sphere of influence?
God’s Presence and Protection
Jabez asked for God to be with him and to protect him. This is a focal point of so many Bible passages. In Psalm 23, David spoke of being able to walk through the valley of the shadow of death because he knew God was present with him, protecting him with the rod and the staff. In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus teaches us to ask for the Lord to deliver us from evil.
One reason that believers fall into sin is that they forget (or ignore) the presence of God in their lives. When we are focused on self instead of God we are easy prey to the temptations of the flesh.
It is appropriate for us to ask God to be present in our lives. In fact, for the believer it is necessary. When we become self-sufficient we begin to ignore the presence and power of God in our life and this brings worry.
I had often wondered how the apostle Paul could sing in that Philippi jail. In fact, I had even written a song based on his experiences. It is based on the tune of Elvis’ Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel.” Here are some of the lyrics
Paul and Silas were beaten, and thrown down in a cell.
In the darkest part of the Philippi jail.
Their backs were raw and bloody
The floor was oh so cold.
But Paul and Silas sang out in voices loud and bold
They sang the praises,they sang the praises,they sang the praises of the Lord.
How is such faith possible? Beaten and cold, pressed into the stocks, and yet they were able to muster up faith and praise the Lord. I believe that the answer was that they were aware of God’s presence, even in the cell. They didn’t know if they would ever be set free, but they did know that God was still in charge.
God wants us to desire fellowship with him. Far too often, believers become self-satisfied and self-sufficient, walking in their own strength and thinking they are accomplishing great things. Jesus spoke to a lukewarm church and told them that they had everything backwards. Self-sufficiency quickly leads to a lack of fellowship with the Lord. Jesus had a remedy for the situation. We find it in Revelation 3:20 when Jesus declares
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Jabez prayer invited God’s presence. You and I need to daily, and repeatedly, invite God’s presence and then experience his protection over us. We will never be aware of God’s protection if we are not aware of His presence. The two go hand-in-hand and cannot be separated one from the other.
Freedom from his Reputation
Some of you are looking back at that scripture right now and asking yourselves where I get this idea from that passage. When Jabez was born, his mom named him “pain.” Okay, Jabez doesn’t exactly mean “pain” but it sounds like the Hebrew word for pain and therefore when people called him Jabez, they were essentially calling him “pain.”
I guess it is fair to say that Jabez’ mother was a bit of a pessimist. She gave him a name that he would have to live with. It wasn’t the hardest name to live with, but it was a name that people would use from time to time to annoy him.
Do you remember the old Johnny Cash song called “A Boy Named Sue?” I never thought I would quote Johnny Cash in a sermon, but here it is:
"My daddy left home when I was three
And he didn’t leave much to ma and me
Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze.
Now, I don’t blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue."
Well, he must o’ thought that is quite a joke
And it got a lot of laughs from a’ lots of folk,
It seems I had to fight my whole life through.
Some gal would giggle and I’d get red
And some guy’d laugh and I’d bust his head,
I tell ya, life ain’t easy for a boy named "Sue."
Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean,
My fist got hard and my wits got keen,
I’d roam from town to town to hide my shame.
But I made a vow to the moon and stars
That I’d search the honky-tonks and bars
And kill that man who gave me that awful name."
This silly song demonstrates how a name can be the driving force in a person’s life. In our society, it isn’t the issue that it was for the Hebrews, but it was a major issue in Jabez’ life, let me assure you. He was known as the guy who gave pain.
Jabez was asking for freedom from his reputation. God wants to free us from what others think of us, but also what we think of ourselves. Jesus came and helped Zaccheus remove himself from the negative reputation (earned or not earned) so that he could have the respect of the people who lived about him.
Why did God change so many people’s names in the Bible? Why was Simon later known as Peter? Why was Abram called Abraham? Why did Saul become Paul? Why did Jacob become Israel? Everytime God changed a person’s name it was because he wanted to change their own perception of they were supposed to be as well as that of others.
Jacob’s name was likely part of the reason his own uncle tricked him. Jacob’s name meant “heel-grabber” or in today’s terminology “scam artist.” When he came and introduced himself to his Uncle Laban, isn’t it possible his uncle thought to himself almost immediately, “Wow! This guy is so crooked even his name tells me to watch out for this guy… I better get him before he gets me.” Of course, remembering Rebekah’s duplicity in Jacob’s theft of Esau’s blessing, we know that this deceitfulness ran in the family already. When Jacob woke up on his honeymoon morning and discovered that he had been married to Leah instead of Rachel, he should not have been too terribly shocked.
Jabez wanted freedom from his name and reputation and all that went with it. His request includes asking God to turn his world around and give him a reputation that had nothing to do with causing or feeling pain. He was ready for something different. We don’t read of God changing his name, but we know from our text he earned the right to be called “more honorable” than his brethren. He is not only mentioned in the Bible, but given a positive mention.
It is appropriate for us to ask God to remove the stains that are on our reputation, whether they are deserved or not. It is appropriate to ask God to take the brand of “ST” on our forehead that stands for “Sheep Thief” and to find a way to make it stand for “Saint.” God is the God of turning things around, therefore, it is right for our requests to be for Him to make us into the person He wants us to be and to show others who we are when we walk with Him.
