The Prayer of Jabez
Scripture Reference: 1 Chronicles 4:9 – 10
Where are you in your relationship with the Lord? Is there visible evidence that Christ is at work within you? If so, is it visible to your spouse, to your children, to your church, to your co-workers?
Can the evidence of fruit described in John 15 measure your spiritual growth or do shallow soil and thorns in Matthew 13 measure it?
Are you serving God today in such a way that people see you as a Christian doing good things for him or has God made it visibly clear that your good works are the things that only he can do through you giving him glory?
When was the last time God did something so big in your life that it was obvious that it was from him?
When I was attending middle school at St. Phillips Catholic Church as an eighth grader, I was not a very good student academically. I had poor study habits that made it almost certain that when class was in session I did everything I could to avoid being noticed by the teacher.
I didn’t not want her to call on me for answers for fear that it would reveal to the teacher and the whole class how much I didn’t know. She would state, “Raise your hand if you know the answer to the following question.”
I wasn’t about to raise my hand because I didn’t know the answers. But one day I decided to buckle down and give my all to studying those classroom subjects and it paid off.
One day when I got to school and the teacher in her typical fashion begin to ask questions. I did not wait until she said, “Raise your hand.” or “Who can tell me…?” My hand flew in the air because I knew the answers.
How many of you are in here this morning hoping that God won’t call on you to raise your hand because you don’t want the church to know that you don’t have the answers to the questions I asked earlier in the message?
Or how many of you can’t wait to raise your hand and share what fresh thing, fresh insight, or fresh desire, God has done and is doing in your life?
That is what the second part of the prayer of Jabez is all about. It is about asking God to do more in our lives for kingdom work.
It is about moving beyond living as an average Christian. It is about taking your faith to a new level and recognizing as Esther did, that God has sent you for such a time as this.
ABC produced a hit TV game show entitled, “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” It was a show that hit high ratings around the country because it publicly exploited what millions secretly wanted --- to be millionaires.
God is asking this morning, “Who wants to be an impact for Christ?” “Who wants to have more opportunities, more influence for God at home, at work, at school, at church, at the 7-11, at the K-Mart?”
Last week we examined a prayer by a man named Jabez. A prayer found tucked away in a list of what seemed to be nine chapters of names that would make good reading at a family reunion than at a church service on Sunday morning.
Chapter 4 reads:
1Ch 4:1 The sons of Judah; Pharez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal. 1Ch 4:2 And Reaiah the son of Shobal begat Jahath; and Jahath begat Ahumai, and Lahad. These [are] the families of the Zorathites. 1Ch 4:3 And these [were of] the father of Etam; Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash: and the name of their sister [was] Hazelelponi: 1Ch 4:4 And Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These [are] the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem. 1Ch 4:5 And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
But down at verse nine there is an insertion of some historical data about a man named Jabez. It does not indicate who gave birth to him or whom he gave birth to. It is almost like a parenthesis.
1Ch 4:9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. 1Ch 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep [me] from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
There is four parts to his prayer:
Part 1 - Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed.
Part 2 - and enlarge my coast
Part 3 - that thine hand might be with me
Part 4 - that thou wouldest keep [me] from evil, that it may not grieve me!
Last week we focused on part one. Having been given a name that meant sorrow at his circumcision. It would seem that Jabez had a bleak future.
Jabez had a name that brought shame, but ultimately led to fame. He found a way to deal with the constant reminder of the sorrow for which his mother would not let him forget.
Jabez is distinctly remembered, not for what he did, but for what he prayed. His prayer became the casting distinction in his life to remove him from causing pain to being blessed by the hand of God.
The Matthew Henry Commentary states concerning the first part of Jabez prayer:
He does, as it were, give God a blank paper, let him write what he pleases: "Lord, if thou wilt bless me and keep me, do what thou wilt with me, I will be at thy command and disposal for ever.’’ (2.) As the text reads it, it was the language of a most ardent and affectionate desire: O that thou wouldst bless me!
He was asking God to pour out supernaturally upon his life as God saw fit, not as he would dictate to God. Did you pray this prayer this week?
With the intentions on allowing God to bless you the way He see fits? And when you prayed did you step back and anticipated what God was going to do next? Or was it a, “I’ll try it, but I don’t expect anything to happen kind of request?”
In the Bible when someone asked for a blessing it was never selfish. In fact, blessings are asked for and given so that they can be passed on to others.
Wilkinson puts it this way:
“To bless in the biblical sense means to ask for or to impart spiritual favor. When we ask for God’s favor…we’re crying out for the wonderful, unlimited goodness that only God has the power to know about or give to us.” (page 23).
If we don’t ask God for His blessing, we’ll forfeit what He wants to do in and through us. James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask.”
Wilkinson argues that even though there is no limit to God’s goodness, “if you didn’t ask Him for a blessing yesterday, you didn’t get all that you were supposed to have.” (page 27).
This Is not a prayer about getting what you want but recognizing that God values you and desires to place honor upon you in ways that you can never imagine.
But here is the second part: “and enlarge my coast.” He prayed for widened horizons.
It has been said that prayer is the perfume of everything an individual does for God. Have your prayers only emphasized your wants, your desires, and your wishes, your hurts, your needs?
That’s not where Jabez was. Jabez was at a place where he wanted to move beyond his borders. He wanted the boundaries that where either self-imposed or others-imposed, enlarged beyond their present point.
While it seemed that the tribes of Israel who were being assigned portions of conquered territory throughout most of the book of Joshua were satisfied with their lots, we find here that Jabez wants to move out side his lot.
Another way that this portion of the prayer has been stated is this:
Increase my influence and opportunities for you.
Now this is where I believe we separate those who are just merely maintaining a comfortable Christian experience from those who desire a God transforming influence beyond their comfort zone.
An eight-year-old girl was trying to teach her younger brother how to ride a bicycle. After several fruitless attempts, the little brother finally steadied himself.
As he wobbled from side to side, he excitedly shouted, “I’m moving! I’m moving!” His older sister, in a cold voice that evoked disdain and a much keener wisdom, replied, “Yeah, you’re moving all right, but you are not going anywhere!”
An article in yesterday’s Washington Times entitled, “Have it your way in the new moral order”, is quoted saying that an Alan Wolfe who is a sociologist and an upbeat intellectual thinks the traditional sources of moral authority (churches, families, neighborhoods, civic leaders) have lost the ability to influence people.
Here is what I attempting to get across to you today. God wants us to be verbs, not just nouns. We are who we are called to be in Jesus Christ, who calls us to be on the move --- and going places --- for him, doing what he has called us to do.
Christianity is more than a person…
a follower of Christ, a child of God.
Christianity is more than a place…
a church, the Holy Land, heaven
Christianity is more than a thing…
a religion, the one true Way.
Christianity is more than a concept…
theology, beliefs, laws.
Christianity is not just something we are…
but something we do.
It is active
It is a verb.
Christianity is the obedient and vibrant response of those who have been made alive in Jesus Christ and are being renewed and transformed daily in the image of the One:
they love!
they worship!
they serve!
they proclaim!
It is standing up and reminding people that God will and does use an ordinary person who lives a surrendered life to Him.
Ingrid will tell you that she and I often times get into a battle over buying brand-name versus generic over-the-counter medications. While I may not necessarily prefer generic to brand name, our wallet says other wise.
She on the other hand prefer name brand no matter what the wallet says. She sent me out one evening to CVS to get some Thera-flu cold medication.
She made sure that I was aware of her personal preference, the one that is extra strength and comes in an orange box. I got to the drugstore and found that the one in the orange box was six-dollars more than the CVS brand in the white box.
I read the ingredients on both boxes and found them to be the same. But all I could hear was bring home the one in the orange box. It was a battle in my mind over do I love her enough to spend the extra six-dollars or stand on principle and save six-dollars.
I did what any other husband would have done; I ask the pharmacist did it make a difference. After receiving an emphatic no; I had the pharmacist call my wife to tell her in person that it made no difference.
I brought home the CVS brand, after taking it a couple of times; she was convinced that it didn’t work.
Some of you are here thinking that there is no room for your gifts in the kingdom because it seems everybody is always using the brand name folks. Folks just assume that you won’t work. But God says otherwise.
Just because you got saved last week, last month, or last year God can still use you. Just because your love has grown cold for the Lord and your service has forced you into bouts with other Christians, God can melt your heart and refocus your attention on his will and his work.
The wise and almighty God of the universe seems to commonly opt for the generic, store-brand Christian who has a heart for him.
Yes, God certainly uses those who are the elite, but he is often in the habit of using highly unlikelies, the Least-Likely-to-Succeed to be used by him to touch the world for Christ.
If I thought that God would only use the T.D. Jakes, the Charles Stanleys, the John MacArthurs, the Tony Evans, the Floyd Flakes, the E.V. Hills of this world, then I would have resigned a long time ago.
If you think he could only use the Cece Winans, the Yolonda Adams, the Kirk Franklins, the Hezekiah Walkers, the John P. Kees, the Ron Kenolys, the Donnie McClurkins of this world, then you don’t know God very well.
People will try to say that New Life can’t make an impact because the vision is way out there, the pastor is too green, the leadership isn’t focused, the membership is up and down, the facilities are inadequate, but I’m here to tell you that God is not through with us yet!
God constantly says, “Next!” He delights in transforming highly unlikely individuals into transformed servants in order to impact the world.
Jabez prayed:
1Ch 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast.
1. "Enlarge my coast".
2. He didn’t want to stay in the "comfort zone"!
3. The word ’enlarge’ means simply to make larger, extend in limits or dimensions, to extend to more purposes or uses.
4. The word ’coast’ here is used to refer to boundaries and borders.
5. His desire was to reach out beyond himself...to expand his sphere of influence.
Jay Dennis, a pastor in Florida would recount this story:
Teenaged Brian was skinny as a beanpole and pimply as a strawberry. His awkward social skills meant nobody really wanted to have anything to do with him.
He was truly a loner. Although it almost appeared as if it were by choice, it really wasn’t. He came to a church youth group, back in the early 1980s in South Florida, which included the usual teenage cliques and groups.
But nobody wanted to include Brian. The whole youth group visited an amusement park one Saturday.
When the youth pastor decided to pair them up, nobody wanted to pair up with Brian, and so he wandered by himself all day long through the amusement park feeling unloved, ignored, and untouched.
Three or four months after the amusement park incident, he just sort of silently slipped away. Nobody at the church really even noticed.
The youth pastor moved on to take a job at a seminary. Years later one of the former students in the youth group, now a grown man, called the youth pastor.
As they were talking he said, “Pastor, do you remember Brian in the youth group?” The pastor said, “Brian? Ah, no. Can’t think of any Brians.” “You remember, Brian Warner.”
“Brian Warner?” More than a decade had passed and he didn’t remember any Brian. “You remember that skinny fellow with the pimply face who was such a loner and nobody wanted to have anything to with?”
“Oh, yeah, that kid. Yes, I remember him. I wonder whatever happened to him.” “Well, he changed his name.”
“Oh, what does he call himself now?” “Well, he took the first name of a woman who committed suicide, Marilyn, and he took the last name of a man who was a mass murderer, Manson.
He has formed a band. Today he’s a big hit among the shock rock crowd --- Marilyn Manson.”
Brian now calls himself “Antichrist Superstar.” He has millions of fans, but two in particular stand out: the two young gunmen at Columbine High School in Colorado. And then there was silence.
In recent reports Marilyn Manson has joined the church of Satan and is in regular conference with one of the church’s’ highest ranking officials.
If just one person had reached out to him on that one-day trip,
If just one person had been friendly,
If just one person had said, “Come with me,”
If just one person had loved him,
If just one person had shared Jesus with him, things may have been fare different today.
It may not be Marilyn Manson for your kids, but it could be Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Snoop Dog that they idolize.
We don’t have to be content with mediocre Christianity, but we can change the world. We never know when we may have the chance to make a difference in the life of a Brian Warner.
1Ch 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast.
You will either cause others to say of Christianity, “I want to know more,” or you will cause them to say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”
When our profession of faith and practice are inconsistent, the world accuses us of false advertising. Our God-talk or bookmarks or bumper stickers do not impress society.
CONCLUSION
When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging with the beautiful baby on the label as appeared in the United States.
Later they discovered that in Africa – since many people cannot read ---- companies routinely put pictures on the label of what’s inside the jar!
Pepsi’s “Come Alive with the Pepsi Generation” translated into Chinese reads, “Pepsi brings yours ancestors back from the grave.”
Clairol introduced the “Mist Stick” curling iron into Germany only to find out that “mist” is slang for “manure.”
When we say, “Jesus can change your life,” yet our lives are no different…
When we say, “Christianity can bring hope,” yet our lives are filled with despair…
When we say, “Jesus can bring peace,” yet our lives are wracked with turmoil…
When we say, “God is the answer,” yet our lives are consumed with doubt and fear…
When we say, “Christianity can help you to overcome,” yet our lives are in bondage to strongholds…
When we say, “Prayer works,” yet our lives are void of prayer’s power…
When we say, “The Bible is God’s Word,” yet our lives are not transformed by its content…
…we could be accused of false advertisement.
One day after a morning church service a preacher stood at the door, shaking hands with those leaving. He grabbed a man’s hand, pulled him aside, and challenged, “You need to join the Army of the Lord!”
The man replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor.” The pastor questioned, “How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?” He whispered back, “I’m in the Secret Service.”
Too many of us are declaring we are in the Secret Service, but the Word of God declares that the only time we should be secret is in our closet of prayer.
Matthew 6.6 states:
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and the Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Lord, bless me indeed…
Do something so big in my life that it is obviously from you.
Increase my influence and opportunities,
And give me a sense of your continual presence and direction.
Protect me, and keep me from falling into Satan’s traps. Amen.
If you do not want to limit God’s awesome opportunities in your life, pray with me the rest of the week.
