December 23, 2007 / Volume 11, Issue 51
The Prayer Of Jabez
Amidst a listing of the names of the family of Judah, we find what has come to be called in our modern day, "The Prayer of Jabez". The text reads, "Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.' 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 evil!' So God granted him what he requested." (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)
This short prayer has garnered an amazing degree of attention in the past several years. All manner of merchandise can be purchased with the "Prayer of Jabez" on it; from posters to bracelets, key chains to card decks, engraved stones to calendars, and beyond. Also, there are countless audio tapes, video tapes and books for the old and the young, men and women.
Don't misunderstand me, I am in no way attacking the prayer of Jabez – that is, the prayer found in Scriptre at 1 Chronicles 4:10. However, the false premise, misinformation and conjecture which Bruce H. Wilkinson (writer of "The Prayer of Jabez", ISBN: 1-57673-733-0) has promoted and distributed in his series of books, I strongly oppose. This, along with the commercialization which has followed is a perverse manner with which to treat things spiritual (2 Cor 2:17; Tit 1:11).
In the preface to his book, Mr. Wilkinson says, "I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers. It is brief – once one sentence with four parts – and tucked away in the Bible, but I believe it contains the key to a life of extraordinary favor with God. This petition has radically changed what I expect from God what I experience every day by His power. In fact, thousands of believers who are applying its truths are seeing miracles happen on a regular basis."
A review at parable.com of Wilkinson's book stated, "Readers who commit to offering the same prayer on a regular basis will find themselves extravagantly blessed by God, and agents of His miraculous power, in everyday life."
Friend, repeating Jabez' prayer is not the solution to all our problems. Reciting the same prayer time and again would amount to a "vain repetition" (Mt 6:7). The Lord did not point believers to Jabez' prayer, nor did any of the inspired writers. It is not a lost be now found blessing for God's people, but one of many good examples (I repeat, examples) of faithful servants of God praying. Repeating his prayer will not solve all our problems, but certainly there are good things we can learn from it, which will help to improve our lives and service to God.
JABEZ, THE MAN
The first several chapters of 1 Chronicles are likely among the least read texts in the Bible. There we find a seemingly endless list of genealogical data. Of most, it is said that they lived, begot children, and died (Ecc 2:16; 9:5). However, the Spirit saw fit to reveal more about Jabez.
| What made this man outstanding? He was not a great prophet or preacher; nor was he a wise man or ruler of a nation; neither was he famous from victory on a battlefield. The Spirit tells us that he was "more honorable than his brethren." He lived righteously. |
Isaac – laughter
Jacob – supplanter
Achan – troubler
Ruth – friendly
Naomi – pleasant
Mara – bitter
Jezebel – Baal exalts |
His was an uphill battle. Bible names are important. Names often describes something about the individual. Consider the names to the right. What does Jabez mean? "Sorrow". His mother called him "sorrow". However, he overcame what others might have expected of him, and became what God expected of him.
JABEZ' PRAYER
"Oh, that You would bless me indeed..."
This opening line might equally be translated, "...blessing me Thou doest bless me..." (YLT) How often do we begin our prayers by asking God to bless us? And yet that is the very thing which Jabez did. It is not wrong for God's people to ask for blessing (Gen 32:24-29). God desires to bless us, and indeed, those who are in Christ are richly blessed (Gal 3:7-9; Eph 1:3; 3:8-9, 14-21). The question is, do we realize the blessings which God has provided?
"...and enlarge my territory..."
Jabez sought expanded borders, longer coasts, broadened limits. Those who preach a "health and wealth" gospel will point to texts like this and proclaim that it is God's good pleasure to fatten our pocket books and fill our lives with wealth. But is that really what Jabez was asking for? In order for his physical borders to expand as an heir in Israel, it would be necessary for another's borders to diminish. Is that what he prayed for?
Rather than understanding the expanding of his territory to be literal, it makes sense to say that Jabez sought to reach beyond his own limitations. He sought to grow; to go beyond the comfort zones which hedged him in, and to increase in his service and usefulness to God.
But friend, we cannot simply pray that we exceed our limitations, and then wait for God to do it for us. We must pray for such, and then put our hands to the work of expanding our borders. The people of Israel had liberal borders which required their labour (Joshua 17:14-18), we have spiritual borders which demand our attention.
"...that Your hand would be with me..."
The hand is used figuratively many times in Scripture with regard to God's strength, direction and comfort. To requests God's hand be with us is to acknowledge that we cannot go it alone. We need the Lord. If we have sought God's blessing, and are intent on expanding our service to Him, then know for surety that His hand will be upon us (Ps 119:173). God is ready to be a source of comfort and to uphold His people (Isa 41:10).
"...and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!"
When God's people seek to do what is good, there will be no shortage of opposition from the wicked one. Jesus taught us to pray for deliverance from the evil one (Mt 6:13; 26:41). Satan is very aware of what God's people are doing, and just as he sought to overthrow the faith of Job, and Peter, and so many others, he will seek to destroy us.
How shall we keep from evil? The first three points of the prayer lead us to this point: 1) seek God's blessing in life, 2) establish a goal to grow in faith, and 3) allow the Lord to provide direction for our life.
Notice the last words of Jabez' prayer, "that I may not cause pain!" He was fully aware what his name meant, and perhaps what others expected of him. He did not want to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. He sought to be greater than he was, and more than what others anticipated. He sought to be what God could make him to be.
"So God granted him what he requested."
God heard his prayer, and granted it. Friend, may we be challenged to Jabez, not to recite his prayer, but to pray for the very same things that this righteous servant prayed for. May we seek to increase more and more in our service to God, being aware of the many blessings which the Lord has given; seeking to leave behind our comfort zones and setting out for increased borders. Might it be our constant desire to not walk in our own way, but to seek God's hand in our lives, and when confronted with the easy path of the wicked one, to turn form it and keep our feet firm on the solid rock.
Click here for this week's Answering The Atheist
Did Paul go to Jerusalem from Damascus immediately after his conversion (Acts 9:26), or did he go some time later (Gal 1:16-17)? Is there a contradiction?
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