The Controversy about Jabez’s Prayer

The Controversy about Jabez’s Life

The Controversy about Jabez’s Prayer

Misconceptions about the Life and Prayers of Jabez...

Taking it from where we stopped and for the record, if you haven’t read the first article about the “controversy about Jabez’s birth” check the recent post.

 So far we have been able to establish the fact that Jabez was not a pauper and I believe this actually played much impact in his prayers. It will be opening us to a little history and the promise of God to the Isrealite after their escape from Egypt. 

 Lets take a look at the prayers of Jabez the honourable man again.

1Chronicles 4:9-10 

And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.   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.

Jabez called on the name of God, some version said Jabez cried out to the God of heaven, and the very first request was that God would bless him indeed, I put emphases on that word because it actually bailed us out of the popular opinion concerning this prayer request.The word “indeed” is often used to emphasized something, to support as an extension of what has been said. Jabez was a blessed man according to the first sentence in the bible passage but now he asked that God would really bless him beyond borders. What Jabez was asking wasn’t our normal “bless me lord” prayer, it was a prayer to retrieve territories that has been alloted to their lineage.

 “enlarge my coast”... According to history, Jabez was of the lineage of the Levite and from the book of Joshua 13:14, the levite were not given inheritance when Moses was sharing the inheritance because they were to serve God . Their inheritance was the fire on God’s altar . Even though the inhabitant of those lands have not been conquered. Fortunately, God gave them the go ahead to have some inheritance as the levite the children of Aaron in 1 Chronicle 6:54-55. But this lands have to be taken if their territory will be enlarged. Knowing this fact, we get the proper perspective of the prayer of Jabez. He wasn’t a frustrated man praying to keep his head out of water on the contrary, he was a man who could be brave enough to ask God to hand over his inheritance to him. A man who could summon up courage enough to go for what is his. We could actually see this come to fulfilment as he was able to have a territory named after him (1 Chronicle 2:55) probably part of where he was able to conquer and add to his territory according to the promise of God. Indeed! his coast was enlarged.

 “that thine hand might be with me…” He was so aware that acomplishing a feat like that couldn’t be achieved without the hand of God being with him.( John 3:1-2) it would be a shear suicide. Hear we see a man who is all dependent and recognising his vulnerability and his powerlessness without God.  You can’t be blessed indeed without God because every good and perfect gift comes from God and he is able to do abundantly above all that we can think or ask if only we could ask for his strength and not see ourselves as all-sufficient but see God helping us in every of our endeavours.

“…and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!”

Having so much at your command could be dangerous to some extent,  having a sense of fulfilment and accomplishment could make one slip away from the presence of God. This is one of the many reason why God has not allowed majority of his children handle some level of wealth , affluence and influence reason being that it will bring them into evil, pain and sorrow and definitely they will be grieved. God wouldn’t want that for us.

Whatever you have not build enough capacity to handle and manage God will not release to you.

If you have not seen yourself as someone that needs God to reign in life, you will end up lesser than God had planned for you.

Jabez was wise enough to ask for protection from God that the acquired wealth and enlarged coast will not take him away from God and thereby causing him grief like King Solomon

“…And God granted him that which he requested.” 

Psalm 51:17 says the Sacrifice of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise.

When a man come into a state of brokenness, God cannot but grant his request. Jabez prayed unto the God of heaven for help not with a puffed up spirit and entitlement mentality that most of us carry about but with a broken heart acknowledging his weakness to receive the strength of God.

God never fails such people.!

Here we see Jabez as an exemplary leader who showed his total dependency and faith in God for him to accomplish the task before him and not someone struck with frustration of poverty, lack and pain as we thought.

Have you been asking something from God and He seems too far away to hear, why not try genuine brokenness of heart, Acknowledge your inability to help yourself, swallow your pride and go to God with humility and a contrite heart and He will hear and answer your prayers.

God bless you.

So, let’s hear your voice, 

What is your opinion about the controversy? How have you been seeing brother Jabez all this while? What is your view about him now?

I will really appreciate you leave a comment after reading .

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Thanks 

Eagles Voice