THE PRAYER OF JABEZ

In the book of 1 Chronicles 4, 600 genealogies are listed, name after name, after name. Suddenly in verse nine and ten of 1 Chronicles, chapters 4, a thumbnail sketch of Jabez is given in the middle of all the genealogies. Jabez was a man of God who was remembered not for winning a great battle, or for erecting a great building. Jabez was known because he was a man of prayer. He was a true man of God who turned his pain into prayer. The bible didn’t say that Jabez prayed a "good" prayer but it literally quotes his prayer. You will find that this is one of the best prayers in the bible.

We want to look at some points of this prayer that we can extract to help mold and shape us into Christians that can turn our pain into prayer.

I. Jabez Prayed That God Would Bless Him

He sought God’s blessings on his life. Although this prayer might seem as if he was being selfish because he used the personal pronouns me and my, he was not being selfish. (Man that prayed the selfish prayer) Jabez wanted God’s best and believed that God wanted to give it to him. Jabez remembered his ancestor Abraham, when the Lord said to him: Gen 12:2-3 "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Jabez sought the blessings of God that he might be a blessing to the world. The word of God teaches us that our whole existence is to be a blessing to God and a blessing to the world. You are not here for you. The world does not revolve around you. Your whole purpose for existing is to be a blessing to the world.

There is nothing wrong with praying for God to bless you if it for the purpose of being a blessing. Its not wrong to pray for wealth, it you are wanting to bless people with your material blessings. If you want more so that you can give more, then that is an acceptable prayer. If you want to be able to give more to the building fund and outreach programs so that people will come to know Christ, then pray for prosperity. If you want wisdom so that you can help other people then pray for wisdom. James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally…" But if you just want more wealth to spend on just yourself, your prayers may not be answered. If you want wisdom so you can feel smarter that other folk, your prayers may not be answered. If you want success or want to be a leader so that you can lord over others, your prayers may not be answered. But if you want to serve others with more talents and resources then pray for those things so your life will be a blessing to others.

Let me tell you something, blessing means responsibility! If God gives you more, You have got to do more. Luke 12:48 "Unto whom much is given much is required." Lot of us are sucking up the blessings of God. If these blessings are not creating a new passion within you to know God better and serve him better then they have not done its works. If you are no closer to God this year than you were at the beginning of the year last year, then somehow you may have received a blessing but you missed the blessing. In James 4:2 "We have not cause we ask not." We’ve robbed ourselves of the blessings of God because we do not ask. But when we go to God and ask we’ve got to be thankful for what God has already done. I don’t know about you but I’m thankful for what God has already done. I’m proud to be a member of the church of Christ, the one that was purchased by the blood of Jesus, the one that’s hell-proof, holy-spirit filled, and heaven bound. I’m glad God brought us out of darkness into his marvelous light. I’m glad God brought us from a mighty long way. He brought us:

• From the basement to the top floor
• From the back seat of the bus to the front seat
• From segregation to integration
• Cotton socks to silk stockings
• Overalls to shopping malls
• The Cotton patch to cul-de-sacs
• Cleaning sewers to entrepreneurs
• Box cars to town cars
• Railroad tracks to driving Cadillacs
• Wagon wheels to driving Oldsmobiles
• Hog maws and chitterlings to steak and buffalo wings
• Fat back to baby back ribs
• We shall overcome to victory in Jesus

That’s why I’m proud to be a child of God, and I don’t mind to ask God to bless me indeed. We need to ask God for some blessings, but not only material blessings but some spiritual blessing indeed. Some of us need to ask God to increase our faith (SB), renew my spirit (SB), help me to love others (SB).

II. Enlarge My Coast (Borders)

If you don’t get anything from the lesson then you need to get this. Jabez ask God to enlarge his coast (borders, territory, limits, space). This simply means taking the limitations off God in your life. In other words, "I’m tired of limiting what you can do through me." "Lord give me the strength to get out of my comfort zone so I can enter into a great measure of your blessing because I am limiting the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. God will enlarge your territory but you have got to break out of your comfort zone. Comfort is staying where you are. Never wanting to move, grow, advance. We got a lot a folk in the Lord’s church, if they would admit it, who are stuck in there comfort zone. You don’t want nobody to say nothing to you, don’t even look at you funny for that matter. Don’t attend church like you ought to because you’re comfortable, don’t give like you ought to because you’re comfortable, don’t serve like you ought to because you’re comfortable. As a matter of fact, the only reason you’re here is not because you long to go to heaven, but you to scared of going to hell. You better step outside your comfort zone and start asking God to help you do great thinks in his kingdom. But I stopped by today to tell you that whenever you step outside your comfort zone beware of border bullies. You say "preacher what’s a border bully"? I’m so glad you ask that question I don’t know what to do. A border bully is someone that tries to stop you from stepping outside of your comfort zone. A border is somebody that says:

• We’ve never done it that way and we’re not going to start now
• We don’t have enough people
• We’re not capable of doing it
• Numbers 13:32,33 tells us of some border bullies

You got to ask God to enlarge your territory. Don’t worry about somebody else’s territory you just ask God to enlarge your territory. I heard Paul say in Eph 3:20 "For God is able…"

III. That Thine Hand Might Be With Me

That should be our prayer everyday that the hand of the Lord be with us. Because if it were not for the hands of God this world would not be in existence. This is an important part of this prayer that the hand of God be with us. What does that mean? In the Old Testament days a person’s activity was the work of his hands. The hands was a symbol of power. When you’re in someone’s hands you are under their power. I’m not worried about the other folks hand, but I want God’s hand with me.

• President’s hand may not be with me
• Governor’s hand may not be with me
• Mayor’s hand may not be with me
• My wife’s hand may not always be with me
• But as long as God’s hand is with me I don’t have to worry even when I’m on the plane, I’m not concerned about the pilot’s hand but I’m concerned about God’s hand.

Because I know that God gave the pilot his hands. You see, don’t trust in the hands of man but trust in the hands of the man who gave man the hands.

I heard David say in Psalms 37:23-25 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighted in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord uphold him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

IV. Keep Evil From Me

I heard Paul say "When I try to do good…" But we need to pray to God to take evil away from me because sin doesn’t just effect us but it effects those around us. Devil is very crafty, cunning, and very slick. The devil: 1)finds you 2)blinds you 3)confines you 4)grinds you; That’s the way the devil does. The devil asks for your hands and takes your arms. The devil asks for your toes and he takes your feet. The devil ask for your feet and he takes you legs. The devil ask for your eyes and he takes your head and gets your whole body. Somebody said that sin will take you farther than you want to go, and keep you longer that you want to stay, and may you pay a price that you don’t want to pay. Jesus said "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil" (Story). I know if we could all give a testimony this morning, we could testify of how God has delivered us from the stuff that we never thought we could get out of. Somebody here has become victorious this morning and not a victim:

• You’ve made it through a broken marriage, broken relationships
• You’ve made it through hard headed children
• You’ve made it through food stamps and hand-me-downs
• You’ve made it through broken hearts and broken promises
• You’ve made it through bologna sandwiches, biscuits, and syrup
• You made it through clothe lines and scrub boards
• You made it through hair grease that became skin lotion and shoe polish
• You made it through trials and tribulations
• You made it through being broke, busted, and discussed
• You made it through child abuse
• You made it through surgery
• You made it through operations,
• You made it through molestation
• You made it through drugs and alcohol abuse
• You made it through incarceration
• You made it through funeral processions shedding tears of sorrow
• You made it when the lightening began to flash and the thunder started to roll in on your life and the storms of life began raging
• Thank God you made it
• You even made it through 9.11.01

After 9.11.01 everybody was trying to figure out what was the Government going to do, President Bush, Congress, Military, we’re looking to Capital Hill. But I stopped by this morning to tell you that if you are a child of God then you ought not be looking to Capital Hill but you ought to be looking to Calvary’s Hill.