The book of 1 Chronicles begins with chapters of genealogy all the way back to the very first man, Adam. Long lists of strange names that today seem rather unimportant to us. 4 chapters in, after reading over names of fathers and their sons, sprinkled with a few wives and daughters names, there’s a surprising detail included about one man that truly stands out. Tucked in the middle of genealogical lists, it seems almost out of place. He wasn’t a king. He wasn’t a mighty warrior. He was a man who prayed.
1 Chronicles 4: 9-10, “There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “‘Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested.”
And that’s it. After this verse, we go right back to genealogical lists of long strange names. If you’re skimming through, just trying to check this book of the Bible off your list, you’ll miss it. Today, we’re not missing it.
Why would God’s word include this otherwise seemingly unimportant man’s prayer? Why would his prayer be preserved for us to read today?
In the early 2000’s, I was given the gift of a tiny book called “The Prayer of Jabez”. This book was kept in our hall bathroom to let guests know we were “spiritual people”. I read the book, and began praying the prayer as if it were some sort of hidden key to unlock the storehouses of heaven, and after a few days of nothing major happening, I forgot about it.
The Prayer of Jabez became a popular prayer for people seeking material blessings. A sort of ‘name it and claim it’ prayer that seemed to be working for others, but wasn’t quite paying my mortgage. Was I not doing it right? Not praying it enough? Not really believing?
All these years later on my spiritual journey, I come back to that prayer of a man named Jabez and I see it completely different. He wasn’t a man with a secret key to the riches of heaven, he was a man seeking God for guidance and making his life fully available to be used for the purposes of God … and to that, GOD GRANTS HIS REQUEST.
I must admit, my prayers began from a place of wanting something from God. And my sister, it’s okay if your prayers are there right now. Our God is such a good, good Father. He understands his daughter who comes to him for blessings, and he also knows he has sooooo much more for his girl! Oh how he is patient with us through our selfish seasons. Oh how he graciously allows our prayers to start wrong, and grows us to make them right.
The prayer of Jabez isn’t a hidden formula of magic words to be repeated for mysterious miracles. The prayer of this honorable man of faith is an example of God’s work within us to align our hearts to his. Jabez isn’t trying to get something from God, Jabez is calling on God to help him accomplish the promises of God in his life.
God has promises for you. Promises of purpose. Promises of grace and mercy. Promises of joy and fulfillment. Promises of peace and power. It’s time to learn how to pray for God to help you live in the fullness of his promises.
The prayer of Jabez pleased God, and God granted his requests. His heart was right. His desires were pure. He wasn’t reciting magical words, he was trusting fully in God’s goodness and power. So, let’s look at the 5 parts of Jabez’s prayer:
1. Before he speaks a word, he knows who God really is. He is the Lord. He is all powerful. He is untouchable, yet approachable. He is high above all, yet he bends down to hear the whispered prayers of the soul seeking him as Lord.