November 10 -- "Enlarge My Border"

 Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 4 & Psalm 77

"Enlarge My Border"

Buried amongst the family names and genealogies in 1 Chronicles 4, is this hidden gem of a prayer. If you skim over this chapter, you might miss it as it is only one verse long. It is called the prayer of Jabez, written by a Jewish descendant of Abraham. It is short but powerful. As with many prayers found in the Bible, this prayer provides us with an excellent model we can follow in our own prayer lives.

Little is known of Jabez, other than he was a from the tribe Judah, he was an honorable man, and his mother named him “Jabez” (meaning “sorrowful” or “painful”) because his birth had been notably painful.  Can you imagine naming your child “sorrow” or “pain”? As Jabez prays, he “calls upon the God of Israel” and places five requests or petitions before Him.

First, he requests God’s blessing. Jabez acknowledges that the God of Israel is the source of all blessing, and he asks God to make sure that those blessings fall his way. He longed to be “under the spout where the glory comes out!”  What a great way to begin our petitions before God – Lord, make me the recipient of your blessings.

Second, he asks the Lord to “enlarge his border.” By this request, Jabez is asking the Lord to give him a large territory of both land and influence. As followers of Christ, we should be constantly seeking to increase our influence and our impact on the world around us, Have you had the blessing of serving Christ in ministry? Pray for God’s success on your ministry and that He would enlarge your border to bring greater impact for His kingdom.

Third, he makes sure that God’s hand will be with him. This was Jabez’s way of asking for the guidance of God and His strength to be evident in his daily existence. He wisely realized that he doesn’t need or want a larger territory or ministry UNLESS the Lord is there with him. This is similar to Moses’ prayer in Exodus 33:15, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” A larger ministry is a terrifying thing if God isn’t in it! Pray that the Lord’s hand be with you every step of the way.

Fourth, he prays that God would keep him from harm. Realizing that without the Lord as his Protector and Defender, he risks the peril of harm. But if God is for him and with him, nothing can truly harm him. The Lord promises that “no harm will befall” His children (Psalm 91:10). This doesn’t mean that we are exempt from trials and challenges and injury. It means that whatever we go through with God on our side will not harm our eternal spirit.

Finally, Jabez requests that he, himself, would do no harm. In this final petition, he plays on his name, “Sorrow” or “Pain” and prays that it would not be so. He longs for his life to make a positive influence on others and to ease their pain. So, he says, “Lord don’t let my name become reality.” As followers of Christ, we often come across sensitive situations where doing the wrong thing, or saying the wrong thing, could bring someone else pain or, worse yet, keep them from coming the Christ. We must pray that this is never the case.