One thing is for certain, the Bible tells us that “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers”. I believe His cry out to God was worth reflecting on in the midst of the genealogy for this reason. God granted Jabez his request because what he prayed was God’s will. Jabez sought God’s blessing, wanted more from and of Him in his life. He recognized the need for God’s hand to guide him, to keep him from the works of the enemy, and humbly asked that God not allow him to cause others pain.
“Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” (1 Chronicles 4:10)
I hope in applying this prayer to your own life you will see the blessings I have seen and many others have as well. Since getting into the book again for the second time, I’m reminded how powerful prayer truly is. I am asking God for more of Him and I’m being specific in my needs when in prayer. My faith in God, His love and abilities has grown.
In Bruce Wilkinson’s book The Prayer of Jabez, he gives steps to help you apply this prayer to your lives (paraphrased):
- Pray the prayer Jabez did every morning before the busyness of your day.
- Write the prayer down and stick it somewhere where you will see it and remember to pray. Perhaps your bathroom mirror, or on your dashboard?
- Read Bruce Wilkinson’s book The Prayer of Jabez often. He suggests weekly for the next month.
- Tell someone else of your new prayer habit and ask if they would check up on you to see how you are doing.
- Keep a journal of some sort on the blessings that God is doing as a result of applying this prayer to your own life.
- When praying, apply this prayer to your children’s life or other family members, friends, or your church and see what happens.
May God bless you!
Please check out the other blogs in this series as they become available.
The Prayer of Jabez: