1 Chronicles 4:10 KJV, “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.”
I have not read the popular book written about the prayer of Jabez recorded in this verse of scripture. I have read various view here and there about what exactly this prayer means and how to apply it to us today. This morning I read on a friend’s Facebook page that he was teaching his son how to pray and using the prayer of Jabez as an example. That spurred my curiosity to study the prayer.
From what I read, the prayer can be broken down into four parts. He prays that 1) God would bless him. 2) That God would enlarge his coast. 3) That God’s hand would be with him. 4) That God would keep him from evil and that it would not grieve him. And, the scripture says that God granted him that which he requested. It doesn’t say go into detail as to how God did it, but that He DID grant him his requests. In Luke 11:9 KJV, it says, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek , and ye shall find ; knock , and it shall be opened unto you.” And, in James 4:3 KJV, it says, “Ye ask , and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” When we pray, God will answer…when we have the right purpose and motive. Just keep in mind though, that the answer may not be as we expect it to be. He always answers in a way that is best for us during that season in our lives.
1) Jabez prayed that God would bless him. What he prayed for was for God to freely empower, equip and prosper Him. We can pray that God would empower us to do great things for His glory. And, we can pray that God would equip us with the necessary attributes to do a work for Him. Also, we can pray that God would help us to prosper in whatever we do, giving Him glory in the process.
2) Jabez prayed that God would enlarge his coast. Well, the word “enlarge” is translated as “be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous”. And the word “coast” is translated from the Hebrew as “border, territory”. This is the part of the verse that I have read so much controversy over. What did it mean by coast? Some say that he prayed for more land. Some say that it meant to pray for more responsibility. A border is the outer edge the marks the outer limits of something. A territory can refer to a geographical location, BUT, it can also refer to the field of knowledge and interest. We can pray that God expands our knowledge. Helping us to learn more of Him and His Word so that we can be better equipped to reach those around us. We can pray that God helps us go beyond the normal limits and be extra-ordinary for Him.
3) Jabez prayed that God’s hand would be with him. The word hand signifies His strength and power. We need to pray every day that His strength and power be with us. In our own strength and power, we can not fight the spiritual battles we face from day to day. But, with God, there are infinite possibilities on what He can do in any situation in our lives. 1 Corinthians 10:4 MSG says, “The weapons I fight with are not the weapons the world uses. In fact, it is just the opposite. My weapons have the power of God to destroy the camps of the enemy.” We need the power of God to fight the enemy of our soul.
4) Jabez prayed that God would keep him from evil and that it would not grieve him. What he was praying was that he wanted God to work with him, ordain, prepare and make Him into something useful for Him…and that the evil would not mentally hurt him to the point that he was shaped into something not usable. The devil loves to cause mental pain and distress. Because he can then get you so distracted off of the will of God that you can not be useful for anything. We need to ask God to ordain our steps…work with us and mold us in a useful vessel that can pour out His love and power to those around us…prepare us for the trials that come our way so that we can be strong and do His will.
I may not be some great philosopher or “Doctor” on the subject of Biblical studies, but that is what I got out of the prayer of Jabez and how I can apply it to my life. I want to be able to teach my children the importance of prayer…how that the effectual, fervent prayers of the righteous gets results…how we can go to God with anything in our lives, with the right purpose/motive, and He will answer according to what is best for us and according to His riches in glory. I serve a great & might God with whom there are infinite possibilities! ♥
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