“Lord I Have a Request “
1 Chronicles 4:9,10 v.10 Text
I Chronicles 4:9,10
Often when we look at our individual lives we can learn a lot from the history that has been and the history that is being written. For most of us we have not reached the apex of our existence. After all there are still some more chapters to be written on our lives; chapters I’m sure that if we could change them we would but since we cannot the only thing we could do is imagine. I imagine that I all of our lives there will be chapters of joy, sorrow, laughter, tears, heartaches, heartbreaks and victories. Often times we feel that because life has dealt us some painful experiences, we have the tendency to think that the rest of our life will basically be the same way.
Painful!
But as we look at our text we see that God is able to cause us to triumph over all painful situations. Can you imagine having to carry around with you something that may have been embedded in your psyche?
We at times go through painful situations but its not like anything Jabez endured. Can you imagine that every time your name is mentioned it reminds you of distress? It reminds you of hurt?
The Bible say’s this about Jabez:
He was a man who was born in a painful situation. Not much is mentioned about Him but the story is short and directly to the point. Although his mother had experienced much sorrow which was caused by Jabez’s brothers it appears that Jabez receives a name that is associated with his mothers sorrow and pain. When you look at his family genealogy no one else was associated (joined in companionship or partnership; connected in thought ) with pain like Jabez. Again his mother connected him in thought to the companionship/the partnership of her painful experience in which she went through with her sons (his brothers).
*Some people are just guilty by association.
But Jabez disassociated himself from this painful situation i.e. he detached his self withdrew himself from his mothers pain. He didn’t want to be joined or connected to it. So he becomes an honorable man more than his brothers.
He becomes a man with a good name or reputation
He becomes a man with outward respect
He becomes a man with of superior standing
He becomes a man with an evidence or symbol of distinction
Because God conferred upon him HONOR!
You ask why did God do it?
Listen to his prayer in v.10 (Read)
Joel 2:32a say’s “And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered:”
Jabez made a request to the God of Israel and in his request he asked for something. He sought God for the thing He asked for and received it because he asked for it.
Notice His “5” Requests:
1. Bless Me Indeed
2.Enlarge My Coast
3.Let your hand be with me
4.Keep me from evil
5.Keep me from grief
I. Bless Me Indeed---
a. bless me above all that we can ask or think I.e. Lord I need you to do greater things in my life than what I can imagine. Jeremiah 33:3 say’s, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
b. You are the God of all blessings.
Deut 28:3-6 say’s,
Blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the city, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] in the field.
Blessed [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep
Blessed [shall be] thy basket and thy store.
Blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou comest in, and blessed [shalt] thou [be] when thou goest out.
God desires to bless our lives, but we must have faith in God to
Activate His power in our lives. One of Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus was
Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
And what [is] the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places],
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
And hath put all [things] under his feet, and gave him [to be] the head over all [things] to the church,
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Ephesians 1:15-23
c. James 1:17 say’s , “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
God is the source of all blessings.
Luke 1:37 say’s, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
Nothing is impossible for God.
II. Enlarge My Coast—
a. give me greater opportunities than I have ever had before. Increase my influence, open up bigger doors. that no one can shut.
Revelation 3:8 say’s, “ I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.”
b. Give me bigger dreams and visions for my future, may I never settle for less than your best.
c. Take me places I have never been before, give me greater faith, gives me greater power in my life.
d. Make a way where there seems to be no way.
III. Let your hand be with Me—
a. Give me a greater anointing, may the anointing of the Spirit of God be on my life, in my home, on my job, in my church.
John 14:12 Jesus said ,“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father”
b. May I know your presence in my life, may I have the touch of the Lord on my life.
c. Let me go in the power of the Lord, let signs and wonders follow those who believe.
d. Let me walk in victory, let me walk in your authority, let me walk in your power.
IV. Keep Me From Evil—
Matthew 6:13 Jesus said, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
John 17:15-19 Jesus prayed, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
a. He prayed to God our Father to keep us from falling into the traps of sin. Keep us from deception and the lies of this world.
Give us power over Satan and every evil work.
b. Prayer gives us discernment, spiritual wisdom, eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
c. Prayer will raise up a standard against every spirit in this world.
Isaiah 59:19b say’s “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.”
d. Isaiah 10:27 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
Let the anointing destroy every yoke of bondage.
E. Thank God for being the Breaker.
Micah 2:13 say’s ,“The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.”
V. Keep Me from grief!
Listen if God can bless Jabez, He can bless you!
If God can enlarge Jabez, He can enlarge you!
If the hand of God can was with Jabez, it can be with you!
If God could keep Jabez from evil, He can keep you from evil!
If God could keep Jabez from grief, He can keep you from grief!
Romans 2:11 say’s “ God is no respecter of persons”
He can esteem you in high regard just like He did with Jabez.
See Jabez disassociated himself from the thoughts of his mothers painful experience and this is something that we must do with life’s situations. Though sometimes things are painful. I don’t and neither do you have to be reminded of the pain constantly. So what do I do? I must detach myself from it bu cutting the chords. I believe Jabez released his faith in the words he prayed (spoke).
Ephesians 5:1 say’s, “THEREFORE be imitators of God[copy Him and follow His example] as well- beloved children [imitate their father]. The scripture is telling us to imitate God i.e. talk like Him and act like Him.
Psalms 119:89 say’s, “ For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”
You see what God said is already established.
What Jabez said had been established.
Now it is up to you.
Stop telling God what the devil is saying and start telling God what His Word say’s. i.e. Philippians 4:6 say’s,” Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
When the Word becomes a settled issue within you it resides in you, it has literally become a part of the furniture that makes up your spiritual beliefs. Kenneth Hagin once said, “People that think wrong believe wrong, and when they believe wrong, they act wrong.” This is why I’m convinced that the reason why a lot of people do not see God move in their situations is because they aren’t putting up their requests before God. So many of them just accept things as they are. However if you want to see God move you better get your request in. I’m so glad the older saints told me some while ago that I have a telephone in my bosom and I can call Jesus up anytime. Look at your neighbor and ask them, ”Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Your blessings and answers to your prayers are waiting for you to come and get them. My prayers are being answered because I have asked God to bless me and enlarge my border, and that His hand might be with me, and keep me from evil so it might not hurt me! Like Jabez God has granted my request because He told me if I called to Him He would answer me and show me great and mighty things which I knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3 I like the Amplified Bible version of Jeremiah 33:3 it say’s ,”Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know [do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand].This is why Isaiah 54:17 declares……..”No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue [that] shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This [is] the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness [is] of me, saith the LORD.” God is waiting on you and your requests. Hebrews 11:1 say’s, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” New Living Translation say’s “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. “
*1 Corinthians 2:9,10 say’s, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
* Matthew 7:7-11 say’s,” Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil(carnal or fleshly), know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Even So Come Lord Jesus!
Bishop Charles C. Jones
