A DIVINE INTERRUPTION TO A SHORT PRAYER

A Day In The Life of Jabez

WORDS OF POWER

Today I’d like to share one of my favorite prayers with you; which is actually someone else’s. There are also some lessons I’ve learned from these powerful words of expression of which I have titled –

Lessons We Learn From A Sentence

This one sentence prayer is found in 1 Chronicles 4:10; it reads:

And 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. (NIV)

Here are some of my study notes.

Points To Consider:

• Jabez Cried Out:

This is an important beginning of this passage. His cry was a proclamation to the Lord, a pleading of sorts. It also implies that he was a humble man and God always responds to a heart that is free of pride. A proud heart will not attain God’s ear but a humble soul petitioning; will direct God’s ear toward them and He will listen and move on their behalf. That divine response I imagine to be like God breaking open the sky and stepping into the earth to answer your call. That analogy reminds me of the heartfelt request from the prophet Isaiah; I call it The Rescue Prayer. You’ll find it in the book of Isaiah 64:1.

“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!

That is an amazing proclamation to God. It’s a little different from Jabez’s prayer, yet it resonates with the same confidence in God that He answers and brings divine change to your life. Have you ever implored such a desperate prayer to the Lord? Some might think that it is wrong to voice such desperation to a Holy God but I don’t believe this displeased Him. In fact, He expects us to pray with authority. Take a look at what it says in the book of Hebrews 4:16 –

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (KJV)I

I hope that scripture reminds you that He created every part of our being to seek after Him, so why not let him know how we really feel. Don’t worry, God can take it! If anything he welcomes such honestly from us.

Every great man and woman of the Bible has invoked such pleas to the Lord and it resulted in a divine interruption of lives transformed, purposes changed, and destinies fulfilled. The enemy of our souls would have us believe that our lives are meant for pain and misery but that is a lie created from darkness. God’s nature has always been and will continue to be, one of BLESSING the hearts that are completely His. Please remember that!

• Jabez Cried Out Specifically To The God of Israel:

Specifics are always important! Jabez didn’t just pray to an unknown god in the sky; he prayed to the only true God, the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth and one he knew by relationship. He knew that the Lord would answer because He is of the keeper of the covenant. Jabez took the Him at his word and so should we.

• Jabez Prayed For God To Bless Him:

The first word of his prayer begins with ”Oh” and some might think it’s a little melancholy. Perhaps! I think it speaks of Jabez’s humanity and the expression of that word it’s like him laying down his soul before God as if to say,” this is who I am but I know who YOU ARE ( The Divine Changer of All things)”. Jabez is pleading to God “Help me Lord I need a change in my life”. Jabez also desired God to bless him. The blessing he asked was for divine favor upon life and success in everything he does.

God doesn’t need to be reminded of His promises but I believe He loves it when we vocalize our faith in Him with expectancy for the answer. Let me ask you a question. Who are you praying to? Could it be that the reason for your unanswered prayer is that you are calling out to the wrong god and haven’t established a relationship with the right one? Just a thought!

Have you ever prayed with an “Oh” on your lips? I’ve heard testimonies of those who prayed in with that earnest and they said that they felt the presence of the Lord instantly. I like to describe that experience as a sweet incense that fills the Heavens with the smoke of your surrender.

• Jabez Prayed Also For God to Enlarge His Territory:

The Bible doesn’t provide much information about Jabez so we don’t know if he was a warrior, a ruler, landowner, or businessman; but one thing is clear he asked God to enlarge his territory. This is a request not only for prosperity but it also involves an increase in authority and influence. Jabez’s short and concise prayer to God covered all the bases of his life. We don’t know if he was a family man but if he was, this prayer would ensure that God would bless his family as well.

This enlargement of blessing would make it so that a man named after the memory of this mother’s pain, could gain a legacy of blessings and joy. Jabez’s testimony proves that just because your life started with pain doesn’t mean it should continue that way. Remember this! GOD DOESN’T LEAVE YOU WHERE YOU ARE! He always has a plan of restoration and blessings for you.

• Jabez Prayed For God’s Hand To Be With Him:

Whatever Jabez was going through at the time or maybe because of his past, he made sure to ask for God’s hand to protect him. This is always a crucial component we need to include in our prayers because the Devil, who I call, The Destiny Killer, always has a plan to quench the fire of God in you. He doesn’t like the light of Christ in your life so he will do all he can to discourage and extinguish it. Let us not give him that opportunity!

• Jabez Prayed For God To Keep Him From Harm:

This prayer could only come out of someone who was been hit hard in life and weaken by its blows. It’s a request made to not only keep him from external harm but from internal ones as well; such as resentment, depression, anxiety, and anger. Those emotions and tendencies can very well hinder what the Lord has called you to do. In essence, I believe Jabez was praying for strength so when faced with difficulties, he could make the right decision.

It is only wise that if you are praying for an increase in your life you should also ask God to give you strength. In doing so, you will be able to handle the responsibility that comes with having greater prosperity, territory, authority, and influence. This is a pure heart at its finest and it reflects a maturity that only comes with a deep connection to the heart of God. A person who asks for strength in order to properly maintain God’s blessing has the right perspective and deserves to have what they ask for.

Through studying Jabez’s prayer, I could see why his devotion stirred God to respond to his petition. Similarly, if our prayers are aligned with the Lord’s heart and purpose, the blessings He dispenses can be limitless.

• Jabez Prayed For Freedom From Pain:

There is no record of why Jabez asked for freedom from his pain. One could only surmise that it had to do with his past. His life began difficult from the start; which is why he was called Jabez ( Hebrew word ya’betz, meaning “he makes sorrowful”. The name suggests that his mother’s experience in bearing him was very hard. But why did Jabez still feel pain later in life? Maybe his birth injured his mother for life or maybe she died as a result of it. Could it have been that he felt the pain of that guilt afterwards? No one knows for sure; the Bible doesn’t say.

Going through life with pain is an awful thing to endure but know this. It is NOT God’s will for anyone to live that way. Can we learn from our painful experiences? Absolutely! Pain is like that unwelcome knock on the door but you know you have to answer it in order to find out the reason for the visit. Pain is that necessary thorn that teaches us something we did not know before. It’s an unfamiliar road that once traveled will reveal the path that leads to the purpose.

I think the freedom from the pain that Jabez was referring to was not that he will never feel hurt in his life but that he will not let the pain rule over him as it once did. Jabez was asking for freedom from its grip and desiring to overcome it. Pain can control us if we allow it, and how we respond to it can either decrease its power over us or increase it. When you feel overwhelmed and powerless over its grip; pray and give it to the Lord, as Jabez did, and watch God turn things around and set you free.

Soon after the words were spoken by Jabez the bible says that the Lord answered his prayer. I will conclude with this last component, as to the reason why God answered Jabez’s prayer. For the answer, we must go the verse before Jabez began praying which is verse 9 and the final component of my study. It reads:

• And Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.

Now if you read verse 8 you will find that the purpose of that chapter was to list genealogies but suddenly the author stops and mentions Jabez’s name out of nowhere. This tells me that Jabez’s life was such an honor to God that he divinely interrupts this important list of family history to highlight this man’s amazing life. Jabez’s one-sentence prayer echoed through the throne room of the Lord.

That 33-word petition paused heaven for a moment and instantly moved the heart of God to stop and act for him. Isn’t that amazing? Now there is nothing wrong with long prayers, God knows I’ve prayed paragraphs in my time; which He hears those too! But there is a lesson to be learned here and it’s this. Words of simplicity, brevity, coupled with a humble and honorable spirit WILL MOVE GOD IMMEDIATELY. It’s not about the words you choose but it has more to do with the life you live behind those words that ultimately get God’s attention.

Can you make a commitment today to honor God with your life? In so doing, you opened yourself to the fullness of God in your life. What needs do you have in your life that requires an urgent response from heaven? Don’t hesitate, speak timo the Lord right now.

In conclusion, I challenge you to pray as Jabez did. You don’t have to use his exact words, although you can, but cry out to God using your own personal sentence. The Lord is waiting to hear from your heart and is ready to answer your request today. A divine interruption awaits you.

I hope this word has encouraged you today Blessings.

Thanks for visiting.

Blessings- Steven Gomez

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