Neville Turley

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 4:10 (NIV)

Hidden in the list of genealogies in the first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles is a gem of a prayer. The prayer of Jabez.  It has inspired countless people over the ages.

Not much is known about Jabez.  We know that his birth was a difficult one and his mother wanted everyone else to be aware of it, so she named him Jabez which means “pain”. To be saddled with such a name must itself have been a pain to bear when growing up. Yet he triumphed over it. The Bible says he was more honourable than his brothers. 

The prayer of Jabez takes us back to the basics we should follow when talking to God. His point of departure is to ask for God’s blessing. We are nothing without God’s blessing. Our very existence is meaningless.

God placed us in his creation for a reason. We are here to serve him and bring him honour and glory. 

“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you.  I will make your name great and you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:3)

In God’s call to Abraham God does not bless Abraham alone. God blesses Abraham so that he in turn will be a blessing to others. Our motivation when we seek God’s blessing must not be for our own personal advantage but to enable us to be in a better position to serve others.

Jabez prayed that God’s hand would be with him and keep him from harm. When we approach the throne of grace with a humble and penitent heart, his guidance and protection are ours for the asking. We just have to do so.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, hear our prayers. Bless us and grant that we may understand how best to serve you, through Jesus Christ our Lord  Amen