Jabez's Prayer
"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."
1Cronicles 4:10
This is a simple bold prayer of the Bible in the midst of boring genealogies, that has changed the lives of thousands!... Christians and non Christians... a prayer that has brought prosperity to many homes, and love and joy and peace... and it is not a selfish prayer, but a biblical one, according to the will of God... made by God for us to pray...
A short, one verse prayer, with four requests, granted by God.
The New York Times reports that the book "The Prayer of Jabez:
Breaking Through to the Blessed Life", by Bruce H. Wilkinson, a brief commentary of
this prayer, has sold 4.1 million copies, most in the last three months. A slim volume,
little more than a sermon, selling for $9.99 or less, spreading the "prosperity
gospel" popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It can be read in one sitting, and it is the
No.1 on USA Today's best-seller list... "people are praying this prayer because they
are seeing God work in their lives", says Mr. Jacobson, the publisher (May 8, 2001,
in the Front Page of the NYT).
Who was Jabez?:
A simple man, like you and me... 1Cr.4:9 says that Jabez enjoyed
greater respect than his brothers, he was a religious man, living in God... his mother
named him Jabez (sorrow maker), "because I bore him in pain".
1- "Jabez cried out to the God of Israel":
This was the attitude of Jabez, he lived constantly in the presence of God... "trust in God" is the message of every page of the Bible... "faith in Christ" in the New Testament, which is almost the same...
Do your best... and then "trust in God"... it is the formula that never fails in this life... and in the next!... the one of Joshua in his first chapter.
- Rejoice and delight in God, your Father.
- Give thanks to God with joy in every circumstance in your life (1 Thes.5:16-18, Eph.5:20).
- Believe always in God, your Creator, your Father...
- Make your prayer requests to God... "Our Father who are in Heaven..." (Mt.6:9)
- Rebuke Satan in the name of Jesus. (Mr.16:17).
- Use the name of the God of Israel as
your shelter and your strength.
2- "Oh, that you would bless me!":
This is what Jabez was crying out in every circumstance of his life... his first request.
What that is mean to be blessed by God in the Bible:
Let's read it in Deuteronomy 28:1-14
Jabez did like Jacob, a most perseverant man in the
Bible: "I will not let you go until you bless me"...
and God blessed "Jacob", which means "cheater", and changed his name
into "Israel", which means "prince of God"... God changed the whole
life of Jacob, from the most deceiving man in the Bible into the most kind in the Bible
when he was in Egypt (Gen.32:24-28).
In the New Testament... let's read it in 3 John 2:
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in good health, just as your soul prospers"... just have faith in Jesus Christ, the Lord God.
God Himself wants you to prosper!... in all things!... in your job, at home, in your social life, be in good health... just ask for His blessing with the simple prayer of Jabez.
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."... that's what Jesus says to you right now! (John 1:10)- Ask God, your Father, to bless you... God wants to bless you... it is very biblical.
- Pray about your personal needs... your own crisis.
- Pray to God for the little things and the big ones...
- Ask God to have abundant life.
- Pray for your family, friends, enemies, neighbors.. for your
church, the nation, the world.... God is great!... He can do it!... he wants to do it!...
He just needs your trust in Him, shown in your perseverant prayer of faith and love.
3- "... and enlarge my territory!":
Yes!... Jabez asked God to give him a larger home, a better job... do the same!... this was Jabez's second request.
Yes!... another bold request... Ask God to give you big things... He can do it!... He wants to do it!... to enlarge your wisdom, and understanding, and humility, and patience, and your love and joy... to have good health, to enlarge your physical strength... to enlarge your charisms in the mind, in the spirit, in your character...
Ask God of Israel to give you more influence to help others, your family, your church, your city, the nation, the world...
Pray God to make you an apostle, an evangelist... one of His friends... you may start by telling your friends about this small page...
Pray the God of Israel to fill you with the Holy Spirit,
in the name of Jesus, for the glory of the Father, for the good of the Church, and for
your own good... this is a bold request for your life,and God wants to do it!... just pray
and trust in God!.
4- "Let your hand be with me":
This is Jabez's third request: Let your hand be with me, your presence, your love, your power, in every minute of my life... Jabez's life was centered in God... try to do the same!.
With so many blessings in your life come more responsibilities... you, by yourself, can do nothing... (Jn.15:5)... but you can do everything through Him who gives you strength, alleluia! (Phil.4:13).
"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19)... not according to your needs, but according to His riches in Glory!
5- "... and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain."
This was the fourth and last bold request of Jabez... keep me from harm, from pain, from sicknesses, from suffering...
Ask you the same to God: Keep me from harm, from physical pain, from anxieties, from fears, from slander, from bankruptcies, from the evil one... deliver me from evil... me and my family, and my friends, and my enemies... deliver all of us from evil... it is a very biblical prayer ((Mt.6:13).
Cry out to the God of Israel to deliver you from alcohol,
drugs, tobacco, overweight... from loneliness or from being abused... from your problems
at home, with the wife or husband or children... from the struggles at work... from all
harm and evil to be free from pain!.
6- "And God granted his request.":
It needs no explanation, no comments... Try it!... it has helped thousands, millions...
If you are not a Christian nor a Jew...
Try it!... many have profit from it... it costs you nothing... and you never know!.
The little, bold, prayer of Jabez:
"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."
Jabez prayed!... when he had a problem, a crisis, he did not decided to go to school, nor to the influenced men, nor to work much harder... He just prayed!.
Jabez prayed with boldness and perseverance, like Jacob!... When things didn't work out for him, he did not complained, or started a strike or a riot... he just prayed, he cried out to the God of Israel!.
When Jabez had a hopeless and desperate situation, he prayed God-size prayers... God can do the impossible! (Lk.1:37).
Prayer is the fine thread that moves the hand of God... it is the atomic bomb of old times, and of our days!...
Do you want a breakthrough in your spiritual life?...at home?... at work?... Pray, pray, pray!
Start praying the Prayer of Jabez every morning...
Pray with faith and humility and confidence and perseverance, like Jacob!... until God blesses you!...
Pray at home with your family... the family that prays together stays together...
Pray at work, with some co-workers... or with your friends or neighbors... in small groups...
Pray always, continually, without
ceasing! (Lk.18:1, 1Thes.5:16-18)...
In Two Ways:
1- Giving thanks to God with joy in all
circumstances, at all times and for everything in the name of Jesus (1Thes5:16-18,
Eph.5:20).
2- Seeing Jesus in your neighbor... Whatever
you do unto your neighbor, you do it to Jesus (Mt.25:31-46).
And watch out!... In any storm in your
life, God always answers every prayer with a BIG YES!... in two ways:
1- Either He calms the storm... the sickness is
healed, the problem solved...
2- Or He calms you... and you will pass the
storm with peace and even with joy... your child may die, but you will be at peace... and
even with joy!, when you realize that your 3 year-old child went to eternal Heaven so soon
in life...
Start a diary on how God answers any of your prayers... God makes miracles daily in our lives...
... But we often look like Herod in Luke 23: He heard much about Jesus, he wanted to see Jesus, he wanted to see a miracle made by Jesus...like you and me?... and Jesus did not made a miracle in his presence!... but, wait a minute!: Imagine the scene: Herod gave Jesus a glass of water and asked: Convert it into wine... and nothing!... he gave a piece of bread, and asked Jesus to multiply it... and nothing!... but read the end of the story in Lk.23:12, "Pilate and Herod who were enemies before, became friends from that day"... and it is harder to convert an enemy into a friend than water into wine!... and more profitable!... So, Herod had his miracle!... but he didn't see it!... like you and me every day?...
E-Mail: J. Domínguez, M.D.