1 Chronicles 4:9-10
The Prayer of Jabez
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 him his request.
Jabez was more honorable
than his brothers and this had to do with his mother. For Jabez wouldn’t be who
he was if not for his mother. The Bible recorded the pain suffered by Jabez’s
mother when she gave birth to him. So, God remembered her pain.
Whenever the mother of
Jabez called her son’s name, it reminded her of the pain and misery she
suffered when she gave birth to him. Can you recall today your mother’s pain
and misery when she gave birth to you?
Yet God knows and God
remembers the pain of child-bearing of all mothers. May God remember all mothers in this world!
The father of Jabez didn’t
name his son. Why was he absent in this naming occasion? The Bible was silent
about it. The Lord allowed Jabez’s mother to name her child, so as to remind
her of the great pain she suffered during her delivery.
God jotted down a
mother’s pain, and this informed us that He is a God full of compassion. He
identifies with us and is involved in our pains.
God was first involved
by giving Jabez’s mother the prerogative to name her son, and He went further
by transforming the son she loved, Jabez, making him to be more honorable than
his brothers.
God is involved in all
mothers’ labor to raise their children, and He turns their weeping into joy. May all mothers celebrate your joy today!
God does not make pain
vanished, but He shows compassion to those who are in pain. God gave faith to
the mother in pain, helping her believe the promise that He had given to the
Israelites. “The bolts of your gates will be iron and
bronze, and your strength will equal your days.” (Deuteronomy 33:25)
A suffering mother who
had trusted God would see her son growing to be more honorable than his
brothers. May all mothers have faith in God!
“A mother’s companionship to her son” is
something irreplaceable. Jabez, ever since he was just the fetus or a toddler,
was accompanied by his mother. The absence of Jabez’s father made him
dependable on his mother solely.
Jabez’s mother believed
that the God of the Israelites was journeying with her, the same way she was also
journeying with her son. May all mothers love their sons and
journey with them in their growing up!
Jabez relied solely on
his mother’s companionship and care since his father was absent. He used to
hear his mother crying out loud, “I gave birth to him in pain! I gave birth to
him in pain! Jabez!”
As little child, he was
pure in heart and sensitive in his hearing too. Jabez understood his mother’s
heart and he recognized his mother’s pain. May all children come to
understand the hearts of their mothers!
Jabez learnt from his
mother and knew that God was a God of compassion, and he inherited his mother’s
trust in the God of the Israelites. He had decided to trust in the One and Only
God of Israel, hence he also cried out to this God, “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 him his request.
May all mothers pass
down their faith to their children and may all children inherit the faith of
their mothers!
How could Jabez, a child who
was born in pain and troubles, be able to stand out to be someone honorable? It
was solely because God had granted him his request.
The prayer made by Jabez was
very simple, yet it was very profound and specific. His prayer moves us to
trust in God’s grace and guidance, so that we continue to grow to be honorable,
and to exercise our influences to bless the people around us.
We are all children of our
Heavenly Father. So, let’s humble ourselves before the Heavenly Father and cry
out to Him with the prayer of Jabez!
“that you would bless me”:
The first prayer request
made by Jabez to the God of Israel was to ask for His blessing! Jabez came to
God reverently. It laid the foundation for his life of blessedness. Jabez
acknowledged that the Lord was the center of his life.
When we ask for God’s
blessings this day, we practically invite God to take control of our career,
family, church ministries, physical health and entertainment, etc., that is to
say, we make Him the Lord of our lives.
We are to obey God’s
instructions in our daily lives and to fulfill His will, then only can we enjoy
a blessed and victorious life! In the beginning, God created all things in
heavens and on earth, and His intention was for man to live in His presence and
be blessed!
God also requires us to
utilize the gifts and resources given by him, to exert our influences and bear
much fruits, so as to be a blessing to others. Through all these, people in the
society shall see God’s presence in our lives, then they will come to believe
in Christ and be saved. Ultimately, all glory goes to God.
“and enlarge my
territory”:
Jabez refused to accept his fate. He wanted
to make progress. He asked boldly for God to enlarge his territory. The father
of modern mission, William Carey, launched his
pioneering work of Protestant mission because of his belief to “attempt great
things for God and expect great things from God.”
Many times, we are afraid of losing and
embarrassment and hence, we refuse to attempt great things or new things. We
shirk from our responsibility and say, “I can’t handle it. I don’t know. I am
not gifted. I don’t have ample resources.”
As a result, our perspectives are restricted
by our circumstances and negative mindset. We refuse to take a step of faith to
see breakthroughs happening. But Jabez had an extraordinary perspective and he
trusted God’s power to gain breakthroughs and to expand his territory.
Let’s not limit ourselves and God’s work.
Let’s tap God’s power, and thus accomplish things that go beyond our personal
capacity, beyond current situations and beyond former things. God wants to use
us to accomplish new things.
Today we may face many
constraints that are causing us to be stagnant. For example, we are now trapped
by the pandemic Covid-19, not able to exercise our normal socialization and our
church activities are also affected. How can we seek breakthroughs in all these
restrictions?
If we truly trust God
and submit to His guidance, we can experience breakthroughs and live out lives
of freedom and hope even when we are confined in the “concentration camp”.
Ask God for a heart of
wisdom and obedience. Let’s spend time daily to do devotion, meditate on the
word of God, pray to God and encourage church members through the internet
connection. We actually can enlarge our spiritual life in this season.
As a matter of God’s
command, 1 Peter 2:1-3 points out that there should be growth in our spiritual
life. “Therefore, rid yourselves of all
malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual
milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
“Be with me always/ Let your hand be with me”
Sufferings move us to
trust only in God. David was pursued by Saul for a long period of time, and he
prayed to God, “Even though I walk through
the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your
staff, they comfort me.”
“God’s hand be with me” refers to God’s
protection, His strength and His guidance. We do not pass through the valley of
death alone. The Lord Jesus is our Great Shepherd and He shall journey through
with us along our hardship. The highest number of promises in the Bible
actually speak about God’s presence with His people in the midst of their
predicaments.
“God’s hand be with me” also means that He
will use you as His hand to do His work. It is asking God to use you and to
supply you with sufficient resources, and equip you with the ability and
training, so that we are competent to do God’s ministries.
God is an extraordinary God but He loves to
use ordinary people who trust Him to accomplish great things.
The last prayer of Jabez
was to “keep me from harm so that I will be free
from pain.”
Jabez asked God to keep him from sin,
wickedness and troubles. All these are evil. Jesus also taught us to pray to
God as such, “And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
(Matthew 6:13）
Today we are in a world
that is full of wickedness, and we are not exempted from threat of all kinds of
“evil/wickedness/virus”. However, God promises to protect us, direct us, rescue
us, and provide for our daily needs.
Even though we walk
through the valley of the death, we shall not fear evil. We ought to pray in
faith and reverence that God will protect us and our city and grant us peace.
Not only shall we ask
God to deliver us from evil, we also ought to ask Him to direct our thoughts
and actions, so that we can keep ourselves away from wickedness. We need to
keep watch and pray, to turn away from our sins, to keep our holiness, and to
train ourselves to be godly (1 Tim 4:7).
In this period of
pandemic threats, we ought to be consistent in coming to worship God online,
and to do our personal devotion, to read the Bible and to pray. In this way, we
will be able to live a life full of holiness and positive thoughts and
behaviors.
Conclusion
Jabez and his mother
became more honorable than the others because they honored God as the source of
their blessing and strength. They drew near to God. They relied on Him. They
cried out to Him. And God granted the requests of His people.
God promoted Jabez to
the most honorable position in his family. Those who honor God shall be made
honorable by God. God shall raise them up from their troubles and brokenness,
and make them honorable.
Today we shall not despair
despite the constraints and exhaustion we experience. Our lives are not wasting away. God’s love
and mercy are upon us and He will restore us. He will strengthen us in His
love, transform us to someone honorable!
Whether we are parents or
children, and no matter how our environment will turn out to be, let’s ask God
for more grace and mercy to be given to us.
Hebrews 4:16, “Let
us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we
may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
1 Peter 5:6-7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand,
that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
We also need to have the right motive when we
pray to God to bless us. Not only do we seek for our own desires and benefits,
but let us allow God’s blessing to help us know Him more, draw nearer to Him,
and be used by Him as a blessing to others.
God promised that He will answer our prayers,
but He may not do it according to our will and timing. Yet we have to trust God
and submit to His sovereign leading, for He knows what is best for us.
James 1:17 says that, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming
down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like
shifting shadows.”
Praise God and Give many thanks to Him!
