Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
10/8/2021
The Jabez Prayer. GOD HAS AVAILABLE A LIFE BIGGER THAN YOU!
Eph 6:18 “And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. 19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel,”
We had a wonderful discussion about the Jabez prayer at our Home Builders couples night at church. This verse struck me in saying, take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit. And then it said to pray in the spirit…at all times… with every kind of prayer and petition… And stay alert and persevere, press through.
To me he speaks of the helmet of salvation, what we think, what we hope for and lean on and believe in, then it also means that we take our only spiritual offensive weapon. His sword of the spirit and fight by praying in the spirit, with every kind of prayer. What does that mean? It means there are different patterns, models of communicating with God. The Our Father is a model. Jabez is a model. But the basic forms of prayer are adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication, abbreviates as A.C.T.S.
Let’s look at 1 Chronicles 4 9-10 “9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez,[a] saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” 10 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.
Amazingly his mom gave him a label when he was born. She named him pain. I know what you’re thinking, who would name their child that? What kind of moniker is that to go through life with. From birth, he was known as pain. The butt of jokes. But the truth be told each of us has a label too. Drugs, divorce, anger, bitterness, unforgiving, judgmental, etc. What is it you are carrying from your past? How is that defining you today? So what do we do about that?
Pain cried out to God. But it wasn’t about his pain or suffering. NO…
Pain cried out about God’s promises and never mentions his past. He said:
1. Bless me INDEED! Be with me and keep me on a very large scale. Indeed!
I remember the prayer my mother who turned 96 on Oct 5th, taught my two youngest girls. She paid them 1.00 to memorize this prayer: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep” Pain wanted God to keep him.
2 Chro 4:10 But he prayed for something bigger than materialism. I believe he prayed for health, ideas, favor, marriage, protection. Look at Ps 18:35 “Then you give me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me, and you stoop down to lift me up.”
God wants to stoop down to make us great! Are you listening?
(Please know I am not talking about a name it and claim it mentality).
As a child, I was insecure, but had a great family who sacrificed for me and encouraged me to keep working hard and favor would come to me. I never got the scholarship I wanted but my parents never stopped encouraging me to press in and keep dreaming. God will use you! God does that to each of us in a much bigger way than we can imagine.
It said Jabez was more honorable than all his brothers. To me, that means that he honored God. He lived by his statutes. God wants to bless us to be a blessing to others. The gains that he blessed Jabez with were not for him it was for others.
God is not so looking to give to but to give through.
Stop praying for God to meet your needs…pray that he gives you MORE than you need so you can be a blessing to others. Here’s the question: If he gave you much more what would you do with more. I think because Jabez was honorable to God, that God knew what he would do with it.
It’s why he blessed him greatly.
The second part of the Jabez prayer was about praying for influence and blessing: Give me the wisdom to go farther, then I can go alone and for me.
GOD HAS AVAILABLE A LIFE BIGGER THAN YOU!
The happiest people I know have a clear purpose – They have a God Dream!
Eph 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people”. I don’t believe you can have hope until you know where you are going. Where are you going? What is your purpose? People need purpose more than counseling.
Pain said, bless me Lord and I will do more for you.
“My Praise Is A Weapon!” YLC Praise Team
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EZuUvCcSM4
