The Prayer of Jabez
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This is an obscure passage of scripture. We know very little about the man Jabez, where he came from or why his prayer is even mention in the midst of a long list of ‘Genealogy.’
In the year 2000 Bruce Wilkinson made it popular through a little book called, “The Prayer of Jabez” that sold over 9 million copies. Up until then, very few people had ever noticed it or heard of it.
It became so popular that a number of marketable products were produced and some people were using it as a wealth and prosperity prayer, which isn’t what is about at all.
In spite of this, it is a prayer worth looking at for the right reason. It is a prayer that helps us understand that the person who prayed it, was someone who face a great deal of pain in life or so it seems. It is a prayer that seeks God’s blessing for a specific thing and also for God’s presence in the midst of whatever his future might hold.
The Meaning behind the name
Names carried a lot of meaning in biblical times. Sometimes a name could even be prophetic. When Rebekah gave birth to her twins she named one of them Jacob, which means he deceives. A number of years later he tricked his brother Esau into giving him his birthright and he deceived his Father Isaac into giving him the inheritance of the firstborn. Esau got upset and said, "isn't he rightly named, Jacob?"
Today’s Text clearly tells us that Jabez mother gave birth to him in ‘Pain’ and she named him ‘Jabez’ which in the Hebrew means ‘Pain.’ What a reminder… Perhaps when people saw him they responded by saying “Here comes Jabez… what a pain he is to me.” or maybe Jabez himself thought that his life was going to be filled with pain; suffering and hardship. We really don’t know.
We know what his mother meant, but not necessarily what others thought. Here is what we do know about him… he chose to live a life of ‘Honor’ before God.
I still remember taking out a dictionary in 8th grade and looking up the meaning of my name. In the Greek it is Τιμοθεος (Timotheos) meaning "honouring God", derived from τιμαω (timao) "to honour" and θεος (theos) "god"
At that time in my life it began to means something, and ever since I’ve tried to live up to it’s meaning. I wish I could say I’ve always succeeded, but God has never allowed me, nor would I want him to, forget who I am and what my purpose is in life through that name.
Jabez, never forgot his name. Regardless of what it meant to his mother and others, he made up his mind to ‘Honor’ God. That’s why it says in verse 9 “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.”
When a person becomes a believer in Jesus Christ, they acknowledge themselves as sinners in need of a Savior. They ask him to forgive them for their sins and to come into their lives. By definition, they are called “Christians.” It means they are ‘Follower’ of Christ.
Here is an interesting side-note statistic… the word ‘Christian’ is used only 3 times in the Bible. In comparison, the word ‘disciple’ is used 262 times. Note in
26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Acts 11:
Whatever your name is or may mean, when you became a Christian, you became a “Follower of Jesus” A disciples of Jesus… One who learns from Him, follows his example of how to live and treat other people.
Jabez was a disciple of the Living God. His prayer was that he wanted to be the best disciple God wanted him to be. Remember I said earlier that this prayer wasn’t about wealth and prosperity? Here is what it is about… Wilkinson writes: “It’s radically believing in God and wanting for ourselves nothing more and nothing less than what God wants for us. When we seek God’s blessings as the ultimate value in life, we are throwing ourselves entirely into the river of His will and power and purpose for us. All our other needs become secondary to what we really want - which is to become wholly immersed in what God is trying to do in us, through us, and around us for His glory. (Pg. 24) Which leads us to our second point…
The Movement behind the name
“O Lord, that you would Bless me… What does this mean? To bless in the biblical sense means to ask for or to impart supernatural favor. When we ask for God’s blessing, we’re not asking for more of what we could get for ourselves. We are crying out for the wonderful unlimited goodness that only God has the power to know about or give us. This is what the writer is referring to in
22 The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.
Do you want the Lord to bless you? Do you want him to grant you favor in your life so that other may know Him and become followers of Jesus?
It’s like saying to God, “Let my light/life shine for you.” OR “May others see Jesus in me!” May they know that you are my provider, my joy, my peace, my hope, my security, my everything! May they want you Jesus.
If that is what you desire, then you will prayer like Jabez… “Lord Bless me indeed.” And you will ask the “Lord, enlarge my territory!”
To enlarge means “To increase.” It is possible that Jabez was asking for God to literally enlarge his boundaries. It could also mean that he wanted to become much more influential. Why would he want this? Well at this time in his life we know that he was “More honorable than his brothers.” So if others saw this in him and he knew it, he wanted to be a man who honored God and wanted people to see it in him… he wanted people to know God!!!
As a Person; a Christian, a husband, father, grandfather, leader, I want to influence people for God; for Christ. At first this prayer may seem selfish and arrogant. But it’s not! He wanted to be a person who was blessed by God so that he could bless others. His motive was not for himself, but for God.
Earlier in the message I said that disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. The word ‘Christian’ is used only three times in the Bible. On the other hand, the word ‘Disciple’ is used 262 times… so the point is, yes, Disciples are called Christians, but you are a ‘Disciples.’
This week I did a simple Bible study from Lamplighters on Discipleship. In one of the lessons it talked about seven principles of Discipleship. At the end it asked the question, “Which of the seven principles of disciple-making did I find most enlightening and helpful. For me it was “helping people understand the “Three Deaths” of a disciples (Christian)
Christ Died for us -
Dying with Christ - (my life’s theme verse)
Dying Daily -
31 For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you.
31 I face death every day—yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul said, “I am willing to die for Christ!” For Paul it was a physical death that would have been more of a reality. Spiritually speaking, it is dying to self - being unselfish.
Jesus said in
24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
It is saying, “I want to die to self - (My desires, my pleasures) today so that Christ may live through me.
Which leads us to the next part of Jabez’ prayer… “Let your hand be with me.”
If God was going to grant Jabez his request, he knew that “He needed God” for him to handle whatever came his way! For God to have his hand on you to to receive his blessing… his favor … that leads to genuine success in influencing people for Jesus.
There is power in the hand of God!
4 His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden.
In the OT
6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
10 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.
Paul wrote in
13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
He also wrote in
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
God has created you for good works and he wants you to succeed in everything you do for him. So, Yes we should pray for God’s blessings and we should ask him to increase our influence and we should ask for his hand to be upon us!
Illustration of President Woodrow Wilson
4550 Pres. Wilson’s Example
In the midst of President Wilson’s difficulties in international negotiations he, too, felt the need of divine guidance. When Mr. Wilson arrived at a cabinet meeting his face wore a solemn look. It was evident that serious affairs of the nation were on his mind. He said to the cabinet members: “I don’t know whether you men believe in prayer or not. I do. Let us pray and ask the help of God.” The President of the United States fell upon his knees with the members of the cabinet, and offered a prayer to the Almighty for help. —Aquilla Webb Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 1042). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.
—Aquilla Webb Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 1042). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.
Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 1042). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.
Jabez was placing his confidence totally upon God and not his own ability or that of others… but on God.
But notice what comes after that… “Keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”
Jesus taught us to pray… “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
To pray asking God to keep us from harm is similar to praying… “Keep me from evil!” The evil of sin which leads to pain and trouble.
On Commentator put it this ways, “Let me not experience the pain which my name implies - and which my sins may well produce.”
Jabez understood temptation and sin. A quote from Simone Weil put it this way: “Imaginary evil is romantic and varied; real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren, boring. Imaginary good is boring; real good is always new, marvelous, intoxicating.”
Jabez knew that evil can creep in because it looks good, but in the end it bites like a venomous snake!
So we must be careful for what we ask for, knowing that if God grants my request, i may face things that could cause me harm or others. Therefore I will ‘Need’ God’s help in ‘All’ things.
What was God’s response? “God granted him his request.” What did that look like exactly? Truth is we do not know. But it is important that God does want to bless us; to have success. But he also wants us to know the potential danger behind that success.
God gave success to Joseph
23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
But here is the danger of success...
Pride
19 You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, and now you are arrogant and proud. But stay at home! Why ask for trouble and cause your own downfall and that of Judah also?”
Boasting - ,
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
Forgetting God -
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
18 About Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and you, Issachar, in your tents.
Forgetting God…
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
Forgetting God -
18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.
We can easily forget that it is God who is the one who blesses… who provides based on who He is; His Word; His Promise
Lack of Faithfulness
;
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
We must be careful of the success that God gives us; Satan can turn it into something evil, like forgetting God and lack of faithfulness.
Why did I preach on this passage? Because I believe God wants to bless you and me; he wants to bless his church. We must seek him and ask him; we must also be aware of the schemes of the Devil, which we spent the past several weeks on.
I want to challenge you to pray this prayer for the right reason… to “honor and Glorify God” To ‘Enlarge your ministry influence’ To see God’s Kingdom grow through you becoming a Disciples of Jesus who daily dies to self and seeks to do all that you do for him.
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1493 Setting the Sails
1493 Setting The Sails
When Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary, first went to China, it was in a sailing vessel. Very close to the shore of cannibal islands the ship was becalmed, and it was slowly drifting shoreward unable to go about and the savages were eagerly anticipating a feast.
The captain came to Mr. Taylor and besought him to pray for the help of God. “I will,” said Taylor, “provided you set your sails to catch the breeze.” The captain declined to make himself a laughing stock by unfurling in a dead calm. Taylor said, “I will not undertake to pray for the vessel unless you will prepare the sails.” And it was done.
While engaged in prayer, there was a knock at the door of his stateroom. “Who is there?” The captain’s voice responded, “Are you still praying for wind?” “Yes.” “Well,” said the captain, “you’d better stop praying, for we have more wind than we can manage.”
—Oriental and InterAmerican Missionary Standard
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1493 Setting the Sails
1493 Setting The Sails
When Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary, first went to China, it was in a sailing vessel. Very close to the shore of cannibal islands the ship was becalmed, and it was slowly drifting shoreward unable to go about and the savages were eagerly anticipating a feast.
The captain came to Mr. Taylor and besought him to pray for the help of God. “I will,” said Taylor, “provided you set your sails to catch the breeze.” The captain declined to make himself a laughing stock by unfurling in a dead calm. Taylor said, “I will not undertake to pray for the vessel unless you will prepare the sails.” And it was done.
While engaged in prayer, there
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1493 Setting the Sails
While engaged in prayer, there was a knock at the door of his stateroom. “Who is there?” The captain’s voice responded, “Are you still praying for wind?” “Yes.” “Well,” said the captain, “you’d better stop praying, for we have more wind than we can manage.”
—Oriental and InterAmerican Missionary Standard
Remember God is the Source of ‘All’ Blessings…
11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.