Prayer of Jabez - Part 1

 

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!"  So God granted him what he requested.  1 Chron. 4:10 (NKJV)

When I began to research the background on this Biblical figure,  part of me felt sorry for him.  The name his mother gave him, Jabez (in Hebrew) means "he makes sorrowful" because of the pain she had in birthing him.  Imagine the weight of knowing that your very name means pain.

Jabez is only mentioned once in the Bible.  In Verse 9, he was said to be more honorable than his other brothers.  He grew up without a father, meaning he had no father figure to immulate, nor one to leave him an inheritance.   I imagine that his self-esteem was level to the ground.  So, he turned to God as his Father to bless him (territory), to be with him, to protect him, and that he not cause (any more) pain.  

When we are facing our own challenges in our lives, when we feel that nobody cares, we can always *trust and turn to God just as Jabez did.  The last sentence in our focus scripture clinches everything and should be an encouragement to anyone who feels that all of the odds are against them.  What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Romans 8:31

Blessings.

~CWP~

https://youtu.be/MyCdFDXxMNQ?si=UbkT_byIBVbuniRg

Photo in Collaboration with Woliul Hasan on Unsplash




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