Prayer: Dear Lord, my God, my Savior, the Creator of all things and Judge of all men, you are a great and mighty provider of all things. You raise up the fallen and give them the stability to walk on Your light. You rescue those who are perishing and secure and preserve the destitute for all time and eternity. Praise you God, praise be to your Son, Jesus, and praise be to your Spirit who lives in us. With one prayer you bring salvation, Oh, God, thanks be only to You, Amen.
Main Scripture: Read 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.
Associated Scriptures:
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33-34, NKJV).
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14, NKJV).
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7, NKJV).
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life(Jude 20-21, NKJV).
Correlative Quotes:
Prayer is a means of persevering to the end in faith and standing with joy before the King of the universe.[1] – John Piper
Something about this man Jabez had caused the historian to pause in middrone, clear his throat, and switch tactics. "Ah, wait a minute!" he seems to interject. "You just gotta know something about this guy named Jabez. He stands head and shoulders above the rest!”[2] – Bruce H. Wilkinson
Jabez had a deep trust and belief in God. It is obvious from his prayer that he recognized that the source of his blessing was the Lord.[3] – Rick Warren
Study:
We owe everything to God; everything. All that we have. All that we are. All that we ever hope to be. Everything comes from God, “Every good and perfect gift comes from above.” James 1:17a, (NKJV). When we live a life of faith we will not be concerned about the things of this world. God in His unexplainable grace will provide for our every need. However, He expects us to ask in the faith. Requests brought in faith allow us to receive what we need. James 4:2-3 explains this simple concept of asking, “You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Hidden deep in the Book of 1 Chronicles we find three sentences that paint a picture of extraordinary faith and God’s simple but magnanimous response to it. It is referred to as The Prayer of Jabez, 1 Chronicles 4:9-11.
Jabez was honorable. He was so honorable that he is the only one mentioned in detail in this section of scripture.
What did he pray for?
The Message paraphrase of the Bible interprets these verses with these words, “God, mark us with grace and blessing! Smile! The whole country will see how you work, all the godless nations see how you save. God! Let people thank and enjoy you. Let all people thank and enjoy you.”
Jabez was an honorable man 1 Chronicles 4:9a, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.” Jabez was an honorable man, a man of good character. We know that Jabez was also a believer and a man of faith or he wouldn’t be praying to God Almighty. Otherwise, he would have been praying to one of the local gods. God knew that Jabez would use the property wisely and to God’s honor and Glory.
Christians with character and integrity are trusted by God to do what is right with their blessings. Job was a man who was blameless, upright, feared God, and shunned evil (Job1:1). As a result, when God was done testing Job, He blessed Job, “…the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.” (Job 42:10). When our heart is right with God, He will always grant our needs.
This is a strange phrase. Jabez wants God to guide him since he cannot know the future. He is like a child being led into the unknown. He asks for his mother’s hand since he trusts her not to lead him astray (Psalm 23).
Summary Statement:
Jabez believed God and God answered his prayer. It really is that simple. Jabez was a man of integrity. He asked in faith and his request was granted. Verse 10 of Chronicles 4 says this, “And God granted his request.” It couldn’t be more simple than that.
[1] John Piper, Learning to Pray in the Spirit and the Word (Part 1), © desiringgod.org, All Rights Reserved, desiringgod.org/messages/learning-to-pray-in-the-spirit-and-the-word-part-1
[2] Bruce H. Wilkinson, The Prayer of Jabez, © 2000 Bruce H. Wilkinson, All Rights Reserved, Multnomah Publishers, Inc. Post Office Box 1720 Sisters, Oregon 97759., p. 14.
[3] Rick Warren, The Prayer Life of an Above Average Leader, © 2016 pastors.com, pastors.com/the-prayer-life-of-an-above-average-leader/
[4] William Carey, © Goodreads Incorporated, goodreads.com/quotes/154702-expect-great-things-from-god-attempt-great-things-for-god