From Pain to Prosperity

1 Chronicles 4:9–10 (NKJV)

9 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 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.

Friends Have you ever experienced real pain before?

Be it emotional, spiritual, or physical?

It may be a pain like getting an f on a test you studied for,

Or pain like hitting your pinky toe, at the edge of the bed in the middle of the night.

Or pain like Losing a loved one

or pain like feeling like life is taking a toll on you..

Pain, like a sleepless night or two,

or Pain, losing a good friend Pain.

I think it’s safe to say that all of us have experienced some pains a time or two.

And in those moments it seems as if Prosperity is at a far reach from this pain.

and while it may seem as such,

It is very easy to navigate from Pain to Prosperity

It is here in this text where we see that in the middle of a book of genealogy, the Chronicler takes a journey into the life of Jabez.

It’s almost as if the story was so powerful, he had to pause and tell you the tea.

and it was here where

Jabez teaches us, that if you allow God to take the drivers seat, then the road from pain to prosperity is an easy road to be traveled.

The question becomes

How was it that Jabez went from Pain to Prosperity?

1. Overcame an Unfair Past

The Bible says that Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying that she bore him in pain.

The Bible says that Jabez was more honorable than his brothers

and his mother Named him Jabez saying “Because I bore him in Pain”

The Bible says that Jabez WAS more honorable than his brothers (That’s his present)

and his mother named him Jabez saying “Because I bore him in Pain (That’s his past)

The Bible says that Jabez WAS more honorable than his brothers (That’s 2023)

and his mother named him Jabez saying “Because I bore him in pain” ( That’s 2020)

See Jabez only got the name “Jabez” as a result of a Past that wasn’t his fault.

The Bible says that she called him Jabez because she bore him in PAIN.

We do not know, if the pain was cause by his birth

We only assume is was caused by birth.

We do not know what she was dealing with

We do not know what she was struggling with

We do not know if it was a mental pain

We do not know if it was an emotional pain

We do not know if it was a spiritual pain

All we know is that the time she was birthing Jabez, she was in pain.

And this is an unfair advantage because every time someone sees him, they place a label on him that had nothing to do with him.

and This sounds just like some of our situations,

That people put a name on us, from something that wasn’t our fault.

It’s not our fault that you label us by how we look

It’s not our fault that when you see us you clentch your purse

It’s not our fault that when we go in the store to buy something, we can’t even look without someone following us

It’s not our fault that we are walking in the street with a hood on and skittles in our hand

It’s not our fault that we drive while black

walk while black

go to the store while black

Eat while black

Its not our fault.

And Jabez had to work to overcome a past that was not his fault.

See if you want to make it in life, you have to see past the labels that others put on you

Every-time someone saw Jabez and called his name he is reminded of a name that was given to him in pain and agony

But, Jabez did not allow the pains of the past

To affect the beauty of the present

In the past he was known as a person who cause pain

In the present he was known as honorable

In the past he was looked at with a level of uncertainty

In the present he was look at as a man of Honor

In the past he was looked down upon

In the present he was looked up to

In the past he was looked at with a level of grief

In the present he is looked at with a level of goodness

Because he overcame the unfair pit of the past

he can enjoy the plushness of the present.

Jabez was able to go from pain to prosperity because he overcame the Pit of the past.

Not only did he overcome an unfair past.

but

He relied on an God’s Undefeated Power

The Bible Says that Jabez called on the “God of Israel”

This is one of my favorite parts of scripture because before, I looked at it simply like he prayed to God.

But do me a favor and look with me for a moment.

The Bible says he Prayed, “To the God of Israel”

Who is the God of Israel?

Now there are two ways we can look at it.

The first way is The God of Israel the People, The israelites.

The God of Israel according to the Hebrew scriptures. Yahweh,

The one who made a covenant with the Israelites and revealed himself to them through his prophets.

This God of Israel the God who got the Israelites out of the wilderness and into the promise land.

The God of Israel is one who saved the people

one Who covered the people

one who gave the people what they needed when they needed it.

And one can say that he prayed to the God of Israel the people because

just as God brought the Israelite out of the wilderness in the earlier scriptures, he’s going to get Jabez out too.

now this is good.

But let’s look deeper.

He prayed to the God of Israel.

There’s Israel the people.

But then there’s Israel the person.

Israel the person is one who we talked about last night

Israel the person had a painful past.

Israel the person faught with God

Israel the person was a trickster at one point

Israel the person was a thief at one point.

Israel the person was looked at, a certain way at one point.

Israel the person faught with the angel of God until the breaking of day.

The angel of God says let me go for the day breaks,

Then Jacob, now israel says I will not let you go, until you Bless me

That sounds real familiar, “And Jabez prayed to the God of Israel and said, oh that you would Bless me”

A part of me wants to believe that Jabez looked through the lense of history,

Found someone with a painful past

Found someone who overcame somethings

Found someone who messed up a time or two.

and put his faith and trust in him.

Becuase if he did it for Jacob,

surely he could do it for me.

And weather he was praying to the God of Israel the people

or The God of Israel the person,

He put is trust in a power that can not be defeated

He got the victory in the life of the israelites

He got the victory in the Life israel the person

and He still has the victory now.

So What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

he is an undefeated God

and If you want to make it from Pain to Prosperity

Take your eyes off of your pittiful situation

and focus them on your powerful Savior

HE DOES NOT LOSE

HE CAN NOT LOSE

HE WILL NOT LOSE.

not only did he overcome an unfair past

Not only did he rely on God’s Undefeated power

But lastly

He prayed UNFAILING PRAYERS

Jabez prayed prayers that made it impossible for him to fail.

He prayed “oH that you would Bless me, enlarge my territory, and Keep your hand on me”

He firstly asked God to Bless him.

This bless means to in one conotations means to kneel or be praised - and the question was asked How do we benefit from God praising us.

and then it hit me.

His name was his nature.

So the more they called him Jabez,

the more God gave him praise.

He more they called him pain

The more God Gave him praise.

and this wouldn’t mean anything if you never had a mask on before.

But some of us wear our mask to hide from what people has been calling us.

But the more they talk

The more im reminded im fearfully and wonderfully made and the mask comes of

But then this bless means anoint or equip.

So he’s saying before I ask you for what I need from you,

I need you to anoint me to handle what I’m about to ask you for

OH that you would bless me

anoint me for ministry

anoint me to take care of my kids

anoint me to be great

anoint me for the job

OH THAT YOU WOULD ANOINT ME.

Then he says enlarge my territory.

He says I don’t want to be confined to the boundaries I once were in.

ENLARGE my territory.

I don’t just want to work- Enlarge my territory

I don’t just want to go to church- Enlarge my territory

I don’t just want to be good- but enlarge my territory

Don’t confine me to this place.

But now that you’ve blessed me. prosper me.

Make me great

I can handle it

ENLARGE MY TERRITORY

But then he say KEEP YOUR HAND ON ME

he says I may be messed up, so keep your hand on me

I may be what they call me so keep your hand on me

Don’t let the my head get big when my territory got big

KEEP YOUR HAND ON ME

DONT LET THE NEW DEVILS AT THE NEW LEVELS DRIVE ME CRAZY

KEEP YOUR HANDS ON ME

BECAUSE IF YOU KEEP YOUR HANDS ON ME

YOU CAN MAKE SURE I DONT GET OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH YOU. WHEN HE SAYS KEEP YOUR HANDS ON ME

IT PAINTS A PICTURE OF A HAND ON A BACK STEERING A PERSON IN THE RIGHT DIRECTI

SO IF YOUR HANDS ARE ON ME

WHERE YOU GO, ILL GO

WHERE YOU STAY, ILL STAY

WHERE YOU MOVE ILL MOVE

ILL FOLLOW YOU.

IF YOU WANT TO GO,

FROM PAIN

TO PROSPERITY

MAKE SURE, GOD’S HAND IS ON YOUR LIFE.