The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 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."
Years ago a book came out called "The Prayer of Jabez". Although a small book, it made big claims and became wildly popular in the evangelical community. Its author had been a faculty member of the Bible college I attended and had left the school the year before I started. I recall him coming back to the school and addressing us with the main points he would later include in the book that would be forthcoming.
Although initially impactful - I recall being impressed with how so much could be learned from such an obscure passage in 1 Chronicles! - it fell into disfavor with me.
The book, as I recall, focused on how much we could obtain from the Lord if we would but boldly ask what we desired from the Lord, e.g. the influence of "our ministry" could be strengthened and broadened if we, like Jabez, asked the Lord to bless us and "enlarge" our territory and the like.
However, what seemed to me to be given short shrift in the book was that the Lord's answer to Jabez by blessing him came as a result of how this passage begins. "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers".
The author emphasized we need to be overt, be bold, and ask of God those things we desired. Think big. God wants to bless us.
My perspective is that God granted Jabez's request because he was an honorable man in his eyes. Just as Solomon had aligned himself with God's purposes when he asked for wisdom (and received it from the Lord), so Jabez must have aligned himself with God's purposes and as a result found honor with him.
The prayer of Jabez must have been answered by the Lord in his blessing of him because Jabez was concerned with the Lord's affairs and had given himself to them. I don't think the boldness of the prayer was what brought Jabez the Lord's blessing nearly as much as his pursuit of the Lord and being found honorable by him.
Not that prayer is not important (it is!) - I'm just saying I think we have a "cart before the horse" issue here. Perhaps if we were to find honor with our God first, we might find all kinds of blessings from our requests to him.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"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."
Years ago a book came out called "The Prayer of Jabez". Although a small book, it made big claims and became wildly popular in the evangelical community. Its author had been a faculty member of the Bible college I attended and had left the school the year before I started. I recall him coming back to the school and addressing us with the main points he would later include in the book that would be forthcoming.
Although initially impactful - I recall being impressed with how so much could be learned from such an obscure passage in 1 Chronicles! - it fell into disfavor with me.
The book, as I recall, focused on how much we could obtain from the Lord if we would but boldly ask what we desired from the Lord, e.g. the influence of "our ministry" could be strengthened and broadened if we, like Jabez, asked the Lord to bless us and "enlarge" our territory and the like.
However, what seemed to me to be given short shrift in the book was that the Lord's answer to Jabez by blessing him came as a result of how this passage begins. "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers".
The author emphasized we need to be overt, be bold, and ask of God those things we desired. Think big. God wants to bless us.
My perspective is that God granted Jabez's request because he was an honorable man in his eyes. Just as Solomon had aligned himself with God's purposes when he asked for wisdom (and received it from the Lord), so Jabez must have aligned himself with God's purposes and as a result found honor with him.
The prayer of Jabez must have been answered by the Lord in his blessing of him because Jabez was concerned with the Lord's affairs and had given himself to them. I don't think the boldness of the prayer was what brought Jabez the Lord's blessing nearly as much as his pursuit of the Lord and being found honorable by him.
Not that prayer is not important (it is!) - I'm just saying I think we have a "cart before the horse" issue here. Perhaps if we were to find honor with our God first, we might find all kinds of blessings from our requests to him.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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