From Pain to Prosperity
1 Chronicles 4:10 -
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.
Jabez' mother had a painful labour when she gave birth to Jabez, so she named him 'Jabez', which means 'pain', or 'one who brings sorrow'. What a name to be given! His name forever reminds him that he's a pain to people!
So, what does Jabez do about this? He cries out to the God of Israel. He prays, not to any god, but to the true and living God. This prayer leaps off the page because it appears out of the blue in the middle of a long list of names, of genealogies. It's like an oasis in the desert. Jabez is a man of prayer and a man of faith. He turns to the only One who can help Him, the only One who can meet his need.
And he prays for four things:
1. "Bless me." He knows that God is the One from whom all blessings flow. Perhaps he recalls the Aaronic blessing – 'The LORD bless you and keep you...' (Numbers 6:24-26). Psalm 67:6 says 'God, our God, blesses us.' Sometimes, we want to specify exactly how we want God to bless us, but if we give God a blank canvas, He will often bless us in ways in which we don't expect or can't imagine. All His blessings are good and bounteous.
2. "Enlarge my territory." This reminds us of Is 54:2-3 –Enlarge the place of your tent, Stretch forth the curtain of your habitation; Fear not. Spare not. Lengthen your cords. Strengthen your stakes. Break forth to the left. Break forth to the right; Fear not, go forth; there are cities to be built.Are we ready for enlargement, for expansion, to be stretched, to increase our capacity? We need to be enlarged so that we can contain the lavish blessing that God wants to bestow upon us.
3. "Let Your hand be with me." Jabez doesn't want to go it alone. He wants God to be with him day by day, moment by moment – leading him, guiding him, keeping him, protecting him, caring for him. We need to be in relationship with God. Prayer isn't about twisting God's arm; it's about holding His hand. The life of faith combines miracle with mystery. Sometimes, God intervenes supernaturally, whilst at other times it seems that the heavens are like brass and God is on mute; but, if we're holding onto His hand, we know we are in safe keeping and that, whatever turmoil we might be going through, God will eventually bring us out safe and sound. If we're on a train and we want to get off, let's not get off when it's going through a tunnel – that's never a good time to get off. Our destination is always beyond the darkness of the tunnel.
4."Keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." Here, Jabez is saying that he doesn't want the meaning of his name to determine his destiny. He wants to be set free from the curse of his name. Jesus came to set us free. He sets the captive free. He releases the prisoner. He's the great liberator and emancipator.
And then we read that God grants Jabez' request. He answers his prayer. So, let's be confident, as we pray, that God hears us and answers us. He moves us from pain to prosperity.
Andrae Crouch and Donald Lawrence – Bless me (prayer of Jabez)
Bless me, bless me, oh Lord, bless me indeed.
Enlarge my territory, oh Lord, bless me indeed.
(I pray for increase.) Bless me indeed.
(I pray for increase.) Increase, increase,
Oh Lord, bless me indeed.
Enlarge my territory, oh Lord, bless me indeed.
(I pray for increase.) Bless me indeed.
Keep Your hand upon me that evil cannot harm me.
Sunshine and rain, sickness and pain,
God, I humbly come to You, enlarge my territory.
Enlarge my territory, oh Lord, bless me indeed.
(I pray for increase.) Bless me indeed
Prayer
Lord, like Jabez, we pray for Your blessing to be upon our lives. We ask that You would enlarge our territory. May Your hand remain upon us, and please keep us from harm. For those of us who are in pain, please free us from that pain. May we enter into the freedom and prosperity that You have purchased for us on Calvary. In Jesus' Name we ask. Amen!
