The God of Jabez is your God too

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.(1 Chronicles 4:9-10)

The first few chapters of 1 Chronicles are full of names. Yet we see God in his great wisdom including this small but significant prayer of Jabez in Chapter 4. His mother had named him Jabez because she had given birth to him in pain. Jabez means sorrow or trouble. But Jabez cried out to the God of Israel. He prayed three specific things in his prayer. One, that the Lord would bless him. Two, that the God would enlarge his territory. Three, that the hand of God would be with him and keep him from harm so that he would be free from pain. The Bible says that God granted his request.

All prayers that we pray are valuable, but prayers where we pray with specific details could be much more effective. Things start changing in our lives as we set aside prayers prayed for the sake of praying and start praying specifically and persistently. Even if you are or feel you are insignificant, uncared for by people, and called good for nothing, God is able to change your circumstances. He is able to lift you up. He is able to bless you, like he blessed Jabez.

The Bible says Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. He was more honorable because God brought about a blessed change in his life by answering his prayers. You and me, we too can pray like Jabez, with specific details of the problem or problems at hand. If God heard the prayer of Jabez, God will hear your prayer too. If God granted the request of Jabez, he will grant your request too. The God of Jabez loves you. He will bless you.

The Apostle Paul says in rhetoric,
......If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:31, 32)
Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ who answers our prayers.