1 Chronicles 4:9-10 New American Standard Bible 1995
9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.” 10 Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
So 1 Chronicles 4:10 is a verse that has been used in a variety of ways and even abused in a variety of ways, taken out of context and applied in ways that are maybe, at best, questionable.
But the reality is, this is a beautiful verse, a picture of one man, Jabez, calling boldly upon God, asking for God’s blessing in his life.
“Oh God, that you would bless me, that you would enlarge my border.”
Even praying that is an acknowledgement that every good thing we have or could have comes from God and that God is our father in heaven.
And God delights in giving His children good things when they ask.
However, there are some observations we should consider about this prayer.
As we read his prayer, it seems rather selfish at first; it’s all centered on him.
“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.”
There’s a great deal of the word “me
“
in there.
But if we look closer at this, especially in light of Jabez’s painful background, I believe we can see that this is not a self-centered prayer; it’s an agonizing plea for God’s help because of the deep consciousness of his own deep inadequacy.
“I need help,” he’s saying.
He’s saying, Oh God, amid all this sorry tale of shame and sin and Godlessness that is my background, “Lord, do something for me.”
“Take me out of this, remove me from this situation, help me in it, deliver me.”
It’s obvious that as Jabez prays, there’s an awareness of his need for provision.
Here is a humble young man who has grasped the fact that prosperity comes only from God; that things in themselves are of no value unless God gives them to us; that if we attempt to get them apart from Him, they become a curse to us.
And so Jabez prays,
“Lord, in everything in my life, enter into it and bless it, and make it not a curse but a blessing to me, and enlarge me, be with me, for thou are the key to life.”
There’s also an awareness of his need for protection.
He says, “Keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”
He is referring back to that blight on the family character, some hereditary weakness perhaps, that plagued him and threatened him as it threatens his brothers.
He says, “Lord, I recognize my fear in the face of this thing. How can I escape this debilitating power in my life that threatens to degenerate and disintegrate my personality as it did in my father and in my brothers?
“
He’s praying for protection against this thing, and believes there could be a greater lesson learned than the fact that the world in which we live is so silken in its subtlety, that we all are exposed in the weakness of our heredity to these disintegrating forces which will certainly seize upon us, unless we rest in the protecting grace of God and here is am ancient young man who discovered that.
God heard Jabez and answered his prayer.
Here is a young lad who from his birth began on the wrong side of the tracks, but over time and prayer he gained wisdom and he found his answer in God.
Life is utterly meaningless if we do not discover that God is the secret to its meaningfulness; that, as I found with my heart surgery, life may be suddenly altered in its course, when its course and direction are suddenly changed.
Psalm 139:23-24 New American Standard Bible 1995
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any [a]hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
We are now committed to following God wherever He leads.
That is the secret to the fulfillment and the enrichment of life, and that is one of the valuable lessons that the Prayer of Jabez has here for us.
1 Chronicles 4:10 also Teaches Us How to Pray
This is exactly what Jesus teaches about prayer.
So it is good to pray that God, our father, would bless us.
“Bless me, enlarge my border,” Jabez prays, “that your hand might be with me.”
What a great prayer to pray.
We should want to pray that all-encompassing prayer every day, that the hand of God might be with us, His hand is the only one leading us and guiding us and the only one which is directing us and the only protecting us and is blessing us.
And we should want to pray this over our life, our family’s, our spouses, and our children, grandchildren, neighbors, the members of the church we are a part of.
I am praying that right now, in just this exact moment, over all of us, that God’s hand might be with us – and that He would keep us from harm – that our God in heaven would expand our territories, expand the reaches of all our sanctuaries.
What a picture of looking to God as our protector.
Jesus taught us to pray like this, to pray to our Father in Heaven who desires to give His ultimate forgiveness to us, for all His grace and His mercy in our lives.
That God would, as Shepherd, lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil.
Pray Boldly And Humbly
And 1 Chronicles 4:10 says after Jabez prayed this, God granted what he asked.
Why not, be as Jabez, be bold, be forthcoming, be honest, have integrity, in asking before God, obviously fully trusting that He is a lot wiser than we are?
And if we ask for something that would not be good for us, that he will not give it because he is a loving Father.
Hebrews 4:14-16 New American Standard Bible 1995
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
But it’s good to boldly come before God and ask Him.
According to his Word, it’s what this whole prayer of Jabez is based on, praying in the Word, asking for what God has said in His Word, and for things that are on our hearts before our loving, generous Heavenly Father.
So how bold are you in your asking in prayer right now in your life?
And please be emboldened, encouraged, inspired, based on 1 Chronicles, 4:10, to be forthcoming, be honest, humbled, needy, before God, our generous Father.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Lord the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.
A [a]Mikhtam of David.
16 Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.
2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord;
I have no good besides You.”
3 As for the [d]saints who are in the earth,
[e]They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.
4 The [f]sorrows of those who have [g]bartered for another god will be multiplied;
I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.
5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
7 I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my [h]mind instructs me in the night.
8 I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
10 For You will not abandon my soul to [i]Sheol;
Nor will You [j]allow Your [k]Holy One to [l]undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 