Pray First: A prayer for seasons of Pain

Recap

Last week we talked about the steps that we take to go from a life of mundane existence to the “path of flourishing.”

Pray to have a personal relationship with God

Pray to overcome our issues

Pray to discover our purpose

Pray to make an eternal impact!

YOU WERE PUT ON THIS EARTH ON PURPOSE FOR A PURPOSE!

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Opening Story - Seth’s Apple Cider Vinegar

Seth was a fistey little point guard!

He ran 1000 miles an hour some games for the entire game.

But inevitably at the beginning of the season and during tournaments…He would experience terrible leg cramps.

SO HE STARTED CARRYING A SECRET WEAPON IN HIS DUFFLE BAG TO EVERY GAME!

a bottle of apple cider vinegar

It was gross, it was weird, it didn’t taste good…but it would relieve His pain.

Seth made preparations for pain when he knew it was coming!

Today we are looking at a prayer that is perfect to pray when you are going through seasons of pain.

Your either...

in a season of pain

coming out of a season of pain

or about to go into a season of pain.

So let’s make some preparations today.

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A random place to find a powerful prayer

We come to some passages of scripture…that make us want to skip the day in youversion.

Leviticus, Numbers, 1 & 2 Chronicles

But hidden within the book with 600 straight begets…is a powerful prayer for those of us in seasons of pain.

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1 Chronicles 4:9–10 NKJV

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 pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

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Jabez means pain.

It’s interesting to note that this prayer that gives us the path to pray for blessing did not find it’s origin in the midst of a beautiful scene.

Jabez was brought into the equation during a time in which his mother was in anguish.

HIS NAME LITERALLY TRANSLATES AS PAIN

It is from the story of pain that we are given the template for blessing.

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Story of 2 miscarriages in 2018

The pain was so deep and so real

But the joy was so much more rich when we held Blakelyn Rey in 2020

Your season of pain may seem insurmountable…but hold tight because joy does come in the morning.

This prayer shows us how to overcome suffering and pain by replacing it with something better.

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TR: This prayer is made up of four things that Jabez prays for…If we make it a habit to pray these four things over our lives and our families I believe it could change our life.

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1. Pray for Blessing

If we are going to pray for blessing we must first properly identify what it is.

We pray the blessing over food…some say bless the missionaries…maybe you bless someone when they sneeze

We also see blessing as the extravagant onslaught of wealth that is displayed in seasons of success.

The word blessing actually means to impart supernatural favor

It means to prosper or push forward.

When we experience progression by the assistance of God we are living in blessing.

THIS IS A POWERFUL UNDERSTANDING…WE SHOULD PRAY FOR BLESSING UNDERSTANDING THAT IT SHOWS UP AS PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION.

When I see blessing through this lens I can praise God for blessings in my 1200 sq foot apartment instead of waiting to praise Him when he gives me the house.

God is honored when we Pray for blessing but God is pleased when we praise Him for progress.

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God likes to bless us

It is God’s desire to bless you...

Blessing is the natural inclination of God.

When He creates everything in Genesis, He proclaims it is good…this is a word of blessing.

When God curses the ground the serpent and all the effects of sin it is a reparative measure.

Psalm 5:12 NKJV

For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

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Why does God want me blessed?

It is clear in scripture that God desires to bless His people…BUT WHY?

God wants to bless His people so that his people can be a blessing.

Generosity is the response to and cause of blessing.

When I am generous as a result of the blessings in my life…more blessings show up because I’m generous.

YOU CAN GET CAUGHT IN A CYCLE THAT CAN GET DOWNRIGHT SILLY!

God will prosper His people so we can be a catalyst to the prosperity of others.

What if we expanded our view of the term “prosperity”

Prosperous marriages

Prosperous relationships with our kids

Prosperous emotional health

God is not afraid to prosper His people…we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for it!

Genesis 26:12–13 NKJV

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;

3 John 2 NKJV

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

We must be careful not to become consumerist in our view of prosperity but God is desirous of the prosperity of His people.

Biblical prosperity: Having more than you need so that you can make an eternal difference in the lives of others.

Genesis 12:2 NLT

I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.

Lord, grant me more than I need so I can be a blessing to the world around me.

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2. Pray for Influence

Once you have been blessed by God…God loves to use you in order to make an eternal difference in the lives of those around you.

Your prosperity will be a great means by which to facilitate your ministry

Some of you will have the ministry of employment…Your prosperity will create the means by which others pay their bills

We live in a world that hands out influence left and right.

Why not pray for the opportunity to influence those around you in a way that leads them to the gospel.

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I want the church to grow

My highest aim is not that this church becomes large…but you better believe I pray this church grows.

High numbers means more souls!

Paul prayed for the enlargement of His ministry as well.

2 Corinthians 10:15–16 NKJV

not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment.

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Pray for what’s bigger than you can handle

Many of us only pray for levels of influence that we feel fit in congruence with our ability!

If it fits your ability…God’s not the one giving the influence

God only gets glory from influence He grants

When we stop living our lives for our gain and start living for God’s glory…we open up the door for divinely granted influence!

Think of the biggest level of influence that you can imagine and then understand this verse.

Ephesians 3:20 NKJV

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

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Praying for influence = Praying for adventure

When we pray this prayer for influence…it adds an element of adventure to our lives.

How exactly is God going to use me next?

Excitement and adventure is one of the greatest pain relievers there is.

The prayer for increased influence is an injection of hope!

Lord enlarge me so that I may be able to reach the full potential of your plan for my life.

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3. Pray for Presence

When Jabez prays “your hand be upon me.” He is painting a word picture for us in the Hebrew.

He is begging God to let His presence and His power be a integral part of his life.

This is the most important part of the prayer in my mind.

If you give me blessing at the expense of your presence…blessing becomes a curse

If you give me influence at the expense of your presence…influence becomes a drug.

Every time that I experience a new level of blessing and/or a new level of influence it births within me a greater desperation for His presence.

Though my opportunities may expand…my abilities remain the same.

I AM INCAPABLE OF DOING ANYTHING OF VALUE FOR THE KINGDOM IN MY POWER!

I MUST HAVE THE PRESENCE OF GOD

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My incapabilities develop within me a dependence upon His presence.

When we pray for God to make us capable...We are praying a prayer that goes against the nature of God.

It would feel better to be competent, qualified, capable, etc…but God prefers to use our weakness as a platform to highlight His ability to use anyone at anytime to do anything!

2 Corinthians 3:5–6 NKJV

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

This is the prayer for presence...

Lord walk with me and anoint me because what you’ve called me to is too big for me.

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When we are blessed, when we have influence, and when we have presence…it has one potentially unwanted side effect...

We become a target

This leads us to our last portion of this prayer.

4. Pray for Protection

The enemy does not celebrate your season of blessing and influence.

Satan is not handing out congratulations for your experience in the presence of God.

Often when you enter into a new level of commitment to God you experience a new level of spiritual onslaught than ever before.

1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

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We need to know a little about our enemy

We must understand that we aren’t fighting a stagnate or lazy enemy.

He’s a seeker...

He’s a studier...

With this in mind Peter said…

be sober (literal) and metaphorical

be vigilant (walking through a dark house when someone is trying to get me back for scaring them.)

Wake up every day expecting an attack and being prepared to take it back to the king

PRAY IN THE SPIRIT

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We have a real attacker…and a real protector

I’m not saying this to scare you…because as real as your attacker is…so too is the realness of your protector.

Psalm 3:1–3 NKJV

Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

Maybe you are facing an attack in your life and you’ve convinced yourself it’s just some circumstantial coincidence...

The enemy is after your soul…your victory…your family…He’s a strategic enemy. (mom, dad, your kids.) (boss, your company.)

He’s attacking…but God is protecting to those who will put their trust in Him.

Romans 8:35–37 NKJV

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Here’s the prayer of protection.

Lord rescue me from or strengthen me through every attack of the enemy.

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That’s a big “or”

Rescue me from is what we all want.

But there is value in the battle...

You can simulate game pressure all you want…but being a clutch player is only developed by being in clutch game situations.

Rather than simply telling God what I want…praying this “or” postures my heart in such a way that I am seeking what God wants more than I am trying to get God to give me what I want.

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Ending

If you are in a season of pain…a season by which you think you could be called Jabez…This is a pattern of prayer that is super applicable and beneficial to you.

Pray for blessing.

Pray for influence.

Pray for presence.

Pray for protection.