The Prayer of Jabez — 1 Chronicles 4:10
The prayer of Jabez is only one verse, but it contains a powerful lesson about prayer, blessing, guidance, protection, and faith in God.
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.”
— 1 Chronicles 4:10 (KJV)
“Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed”
Jabez was not ashamed to ask God for His blessing. He understood that the greatest blessing is not simply money, possessions, or success. True blessing comes from God.
We should desire the blessing of God upon our homes, families, churches, ministries and everything we do for Him. But we should always seek the Giver more than the gifts.
“And enlarge my coast”
Jabez asked God to increase his territory. For us today, we can also see a spiritual application. We can pray:
“Lord, enlarge my opportunities to serve You. Give me more people to reach, more souls to encourage, and greater opportunities to spread the Gospel.”
An enlarged coast also brings enlarged responsibility. If God gives us more, we should use it for His glory rather than our own.
“And that thine hand might be with me”
This may be the most important part of the prayer. Jabez did not merely want a larger coast; he wanted God’s hand upon him.
What good is success without God’s presence? What good is a large ministry if the hand of God is not upon it?
Like Moses, we should desire God’s presence to go with us. We need His hand to guide us, strengthen us, correct us and lead us.
“And that thou wouldest keep me from evil”
Jabez understood that blessing alone was not enough. He needed God’s protection.
The greater our opportunities, the more important it is that we remain close to God. We should pray that the Lord keeps us from temptation, pride, sin and anything that would damage our testimony.
Jesus taught a similar principle in the Lord’s Prayer:
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
— Matthew 6:13 (KJV)
“And God granted him that which he requested”
What a wonderful ending! Jabez prayed—and God answered.
This does not mean God promises to give us everything we ask for exactly as we want it. But it teaches us that we can come before God in faith and place our desires before Him, seeking His will and trusting His answer.
The Prayer of Jabez could be summed up in four requests:
Lord, bless me. Enlarge my opportunities. Keep Your hand upon me. Protect me from evil.
For gi7ministries.com, there is a beautiful ministry message here: Never ask God merely to enlarge the work; ask Him to enlarge the work while keeping His hand upon the worker.
A larger coast without God’s hand can become a burden, but a larger coast with God’s hand can become a blessing.
GOD IS A GOOD GOD
GOD KNOWS, GOD LOVES, GOD CARES
Written for Georges Web Ministries.com
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24 August 2016