One of the books that became an international bestseller, topping the New York Times best seller list in 2001, selling over nine million copies, is “The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking through to the Blessed Life” by author Bruce Wilkinson. The book is based on the Scripture text recorded in 1 Chronicles 4:10. The words of Jabez’s prayer is “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.
Most Christians are not unfamiliar with this prayer, and many use this as a model to pray for the PROVISIONS of God (blessings and enlarging of one’s territory) or for God’s PROTECTION (keep me from evil that it may cause me harm). But as I pondered over the crux of this prayer, I believe by divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, I realized that the crux of this prayer is centrally positioned in the prayer itself. The crux is not about the provisions or the protection of God, but it is about the PRESENCE of God (Oh that the hand of God might BE WITH ME). The provisions and protection of God are byproducts of God’s presence. For example, when a parent is with a child, not only does the parent PROVIDE for the child, but also PROTECTS the child from any and all harm to the child. As long as the parent is with the child (PRESENT with the child), the child has nothing to worry about. In the same manner, Jabez prayed for God’s presence and received in full measure, not only God’s presence, but God’s provisions and protection as well.
Points to ponder:
When was the last time, you/I prayed, just for God to be with us; for his hand to be with us?
Next time we pray, instead of focusing on asking God for his provisions (blessings) and his protection, let us ask for God’s PRESENCE to be with us, since the rest will follow. |
My prayer today, for today and the coming days, is “Oh Lord God, I pray that thine hand be with me!”
1 Chronicles 4:10 (KJV)
10 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.
Mano Paul
Keep up the good work Walter. What a wonderful God we serve! Oh words cant just describe him and our finite minds fall short of understanding the fullness of his glory… Cant wait to be present with him, absent from this body and gaze upon his beauty for the rest of eternity 🙂
Walter Bright
Blessings on you Paul Family… I am writing a four part series on the prayer of Jabez and noticed that you had an article on the subject so I came to check it out. I love the points to ponder portion of the post. May the Lord bless you. Hope to hear from you!
Mano Paul
Dear Walter.
God bless you richly as well. I apologize for the delay in responding. Your comments was marked as spam and I did not see it till today. God bless you and your ministry richly. I pray that our Lord and Savior Jesus bless you and enlarge your influence, and that his hands be with you and keep you from evil so that you are a blessing, causing no pain to him or his people. God bless you
Mano Paul
walter bright
What a blessing to hear from you… Thanks for the prayer! Amen – so be it! I wish you the same if not exceedingly above all you can think ask or imagine.
Psalms of Praise Womens' Ministries
Thanks for this wonderful commentary on the Prayer of Jabez. My heart is so encouraged when I run across instances when the Lord is feeding His people the same food at His proper time. My Heart was drawn to this same prayer a few weeks ago and I shared two post on my blog that you might want to check out. After much prayer, it occurred to me that Jabez’s prayer in our current day although not about provisions, can be construed as a modern day gospel challenge, a prayer asking the Lord to increase our effectiveness in preaching and spreading His truths; a prayer to enlarge our impact on the lives of others. So thanks again and may the Lord of Host continue to bless your e-ministry as you labor on His behalf!
Your Sister in Christ,
Colleen
Mano Paul
Thank you Colleen for your encouraging words and insight. God’s ways are certainly awesome and mysterious, but never just coincidental, since he has a definite purpose for each of our lives. Thanks and God bless you richly.
Your brother in Christ Jesus
Mano