Benito Z. Swu
[dropcap]G[/dropcap]od willing, I will name my first grandson ‘Jabez’. Now, why Jabez? OK, Here’s why.
First Chronicles 4: 9-10 tells us about a man named Jabez. The first nine chapters of this book consists of genealogies, with a listing of more than six hundred names. Right in the middle of all these names God singles out one man for special recognition, and his name is Jabez.
There are only two verses in the entire Bible on this man, yet he is given an honorable mention above six hundred other people. Why did God single out this man? What did he do that caused his name to be preserved for over four thousand years? What made him above average? The Bible says, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers”. Jabez prayed to God, “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”(Chron 4:10). And God granted his prayerful request.There were three secrets to this man’s life, revealing three principles. The first secret was that Jabez had a great ambition. While all his friends were content with being average and mediocre, that wasn’t enough for Jabez. He said, “I want God to bless me. I want something big. I want to do something significant with my life”. He didn’t want to be ordinary. He did not want to be common. He wanted to expand and grow. He said, “God, bless me and enlarge my land”. For more than anything he deeply wanted God’s blessings on his life.
The second secret is that not only did Jabez have a great ambition, he also had the principle of maintaining a growing faith. He had a deep trust and belief in God. He had enough faith to pray and expect an answer. He was like the pioneer missionary William Carey who said, “Attempt great things for God; expect great things from God”. The Bible gives us some interesting facts about Jabez. First there is no mention of Jabez having any special ability or talent or gift. The Bible does not say that he was wealthy or educated. He was simply a common man but with an uncommon faith. Jabez’s faith caused him to believe that God would help him with his goals and his dreams. There is something more important than being talented, more important than ability or education – it is faith. Its believing that God will work through us. There are many super-talented people who are sitting on the sidelines while ordinary people with faith are making the touchdowns. They believe God, so He uses them. Like Jabez, they are just ordinary people with extraordinary faith.
The third secret to Jabez’s life was his prayer life. It was Jabez’s simple prayer request that got him an honorable mention in the Bible. The life of Jabez illustrates three things we can ask God for and expect Him to answer.
The first thing Jabez prayed for was God’s power in his life. He asked for a power much greater than his own to accomplish his dream. He prayed, “I want you to bless me. I want your power in my life.” I find it important to note that Jabez’s request was most specific: “God, this is what I want you to do: I want you to enlarge my coast; I want you to expand my territory; I want more real estate”. At first glance, Jabez’s prayer seems selfish. He prayed, “God I want you to do all these things for me.” But evidently God approved of the prayer, because He answered it. Now, these clearly points to the point that ambition is neither good nor bad; it is just a basic drive in life. What makes ambition good or bad? One thing: the motive behind it. And Jabez’s motive was genuine because God never honors an unworthy request. Consider these: God dares us to ask for big requests. He encourages us to ask for things: “you do not have, because you do not ask God”(James 4:2). The Lord said to Jeremiah, “Call Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know”(Jer.33:3). Paul says that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us”(Eph. 3:20). This clearly means that we cannot out-ask God. We cannot out-dream God. If we could stretch our imagination to the greatest limits of what we think could possibly happen, God can go beyond even that. God says, “Trust me. Ask things. Find a great ambition, then get a growing faith, then bring them to me in genuine prayer.” God is not some big policeman up in the sky waiting for us to make one wrong move so He can pounce on us. Instead He wants to bless our life.
The second thing that Jabez prayed for was God’s presence in his life. “Keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain”(v-10). Jabez asked God for His protection. Why did he do that? Most probably because in those days, the more land one had, the more influence one had and were better known and thereby a bigger target. It is still like that today. The more successful one is, the more critic one have. The more territory one own, the more one is attacked. The closer one grow to the Lord and the stronger one become as a Christian, the more the devil harasses. But we can be sure, as Jabez was, that with God’s protection, we do not have to fear anyone or anything.
I believe that if we combine the three requests that Jabez prayed for, we will live above average. If one really follow the three principles that Jabez used – (i) Get a great ambition, a glimpse of what God wants to do in our life; (ii) Get a growing faith in God, a faith that enables us to expect the impossible; (iii) Establish a genuine prayer life, one that depends on God as we walk ahead to the future.
Lastly, now that my grandson is set to be a Jabez, it does not at all mean that any other cannot be a Jabez. Infact, anyone’s son or grandson can be a Jabez. The more Jabez we have, the more we are securing the future generations to come.
