As we are reading through 1 Chronicles 4 - we are inundated with a bunch of names of the descendants of Judah. All of a sudden the writer stops to give us a short sketch of this man named Jabez.
We do not know any more about him than what is recorded in these two verses of our text. He is not mentioned or referred to anywhere else in the Bible. He suddenly appears and just as suddenly disappears.
We have scores of names being recited, and suddenly we have an interesting commentary given to us concerning one of those named Jabez.
What we know about Jabez from the text: 1. He appears to be the son of Coz. 2. He was more honorable than his brothers. 3. His mother named him Jabez which means grief or sorrow. 4. His mother said she bore him with sorrow. The grief was possibly related to circumstances of his birth, or perhaps the pregnancy. It is also possible that his father died while she was pregnant with him.
It really strikes me that even though there were many obstacles about this man - even to the point of naming him pain he pressed through and sought for the blessings of God.
We know that Jabez was a man of prayer because he called upon the the God Of Israel.
He prayed in faith.
Look at the following New Testament verses on faith and let them reside in your spirit.
MARK 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, Whatever you desire, when you pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have them.
MATTHEW 21:22 And all things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.
JOHN 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
JOHN 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.
JOHN 16:23 And in that day you shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
JOHN 16:24 Hitherto you have asked nothing in My name: ask, and you shall receive that your joy may be full.
Who were these promises made to? Not to the multitudes, not to the world. But to His disciples - those that follow Christ.
Look at the petitions of the prayer of Jabez:
1. Oh that You would bless me indeed.
Jabez didn't worry that he had been "a pain" to others in life. He just tapped into God's promise and said, "Bless me God."
DEUTERONOMY 28:2-4, 6 And all these blessings shall come on you, and overtake you, if you will hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God. 3 You will be blessed in the city, and blessed in the field. 4 Your children will be blessed and also the fruit of the ground, and the fruit of your cattle, your cows your flocks of sheep will increase. 6 You will be blessed when you come in an when you go out.
2. Enlarge my border - "Lord, give me a broader vision. Not just for my church, but for the whole church, the whole body of Christ. Not just for my community but for the whole world."
3. That Your hand would be with me. The hand of blessing. The hand of guidance. The hand of protection, etc.
4. Keep me from evil. We are living in an evil world. Even Jesus prayed, "Deliver us from evil."
This text concludes with "And God granted him what he asked.
Wow. Powerful. He didn't let his past determine his future. He had a confidence in God and in His promises.
Look at what John writes... (This should be our prayer also).
1 JOHN 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: 15 And if we know that he hears what we ask, we know that He will give us the petitions that we desired of him.
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