Life is tough, pray hard!
The Prayer of Jabez
Citation: The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez saying “I gave birth to him in pain.”
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.
Setting the text
-- The immediate context is perhaps one of the most boring chapter Jabez in Scripture.
-- The Chronicler had to stop and pause to convey a micro-profile of Jabez
-- Jabez was born in pain – in the mire of human existence
What is your pain?
-- Divorce, dysfunctional family?
-- Absentee father or over-bearing mother?
-- Poverty, lack of role models?
-- Disobedient children or wayward spouse?
-- Illness, chronic pain ?
-- Race or advanced in age ?
1. Ask God to bless you.
-- Why not?
---- God is full of blessings
---- We just have to tap on the source of blessings
-- The absence of:
---- When
---- How and how much
---- God’s way is perfect; His timing, impeccable.
2. Ask God to enlarge your influence
-- Territories equal influence
-- We need Christians in high places.
-- The problem: Lack of intentionality
-- We need to redeem the time.
-- Master the opportunity.
3. Ask God’s hand to be with you.
-- “Let your hand be with me…”
-- It takes supernatural power to rise above the mediocrity of life
-- Allow God to empower you.
-- Be available for God to use you.
4. Ask God to protect you.
-- From the Evil One
-- From yourselves
-- From the seduction of sin.
