Quite some time ago, someone wrote a book about “the prayer of Jabez” and people got almost in a craze about it. The problem is that many focused on only his prayer. They wanted to turn it into some formula whereby if anyone repeats the words, they force God to bless them also. However, this is not how a relationship with the Lord works. We don’t control Him. We don’t get His power by rehearsing specific words like some sort of spell.
So why did the LORD grant Jabez’s request for prosperity?
9Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.” 10Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested.
Scripture highlights that he “was more honorable than his brothers”. He was someone who lived according to God’s ways in relationship with God. His prayer was a reasonable prayer. He asked for God’s blessing and asked for God’s protection from harm. These are good things to pray for. Let us also take care not to overlook that he also asked for God’s hand to be with him, and he was honorable in his life. Jabez was not simply asking for more land and less pain, but also for a relationship with God and living his life in accordance with what God directed.
Let us take note that we should not simply take the words of Jabez and expect we pray them and somehow control God to bless us.
7“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
The path to living with the peace and joy of the Lord is one of submitting to Him and building relationship with Him. You cannot and should not try to skip the relationship with God in pursuit of controlling Him to give you the outcomes you want. That said, we ultimately must trust Him whether He tells us “yes” or “no” for the requests we bring before Him. As you build relationship with Him, you will also discover that the relationship is the real treasure… that His hand would be with us.
—-
Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way and use it for His glory rather than your own. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .