-May 23, 2024-
Good morning beloved, happy Thursday,
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘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.’ So God granted him what he requested.”
(1 Chronicles 4:10).
Today’s text is appropriately called “The Prayer of Jabez.” Right in the middle of all the genealogies is this beautiful and special prayer. It was only a few years ago where I heard this term used. I have read through the Bible in a year many times and read right past it, but not digging deeper into it.
When I started studying it more carefully, I was so blessed and I found some great lessons on praying for what we need, when we need it. We read of Jabez, his mother, and his brothers, but we don’t read anything of his father. Perhaps he passed away before Jabez was born. We don’t know for sure.
Jabez’s birth was certainly clouded by his mother’s very difficult delivery. Her pain was so excruciating that she named him Jabez, meaning “He will cause pain.” His birth reminded him of the birth of Benjamin where Rachel died giving birth to him. Before she died, she named her last son Ben-Oni, meaning, “Son of my sorrow.” Fortunately, Jacob called him Benjamin, “Son of my right hand.”
Jabez was not so fortunate to have a name change. He had to live with the name meaning pain all his life, which pardon the pun, was a real pain! Not everyone gets off to a good start in life, and have to live with mental, physical, and emotional scars for years.
Only Christ can change a person’s life and give them an abundant and eternal life. Only God can cleanse our minds and hearts. Jabez didn’t want to cause anyone pain, he wanted instead to be a blessing. His desire to please God and help others is something we should all desire and strive for.
We may have misfortunes in life, and bad memories and experiences. God can turn them around and use them to make us what He wants us to be. Tomorrow in Part II we will consider each of his five requests and how they apply to our lives.
Have a blessed day and pray about everything. Stay safe and healthy.
God shows He cares when He answers our earnest prayers.
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 