Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Prayer of Jabez: Oh, That You Would Bless Me - Matthew 7:7-8 and I Chronicles 4:9-10

Introduction
Today we are starting a new preaching series on an oft-passed over piece of Scripture called the Prayer of Jabez. During the next four weeks we are going to break this prayer apart as we seek to understand what it means to ask God to bless us, to enlarge our territory, to be with us, and keep us from evil. Today we are going to begin with the phrase, “Oh, that you would bless me” as we look at the appropriateness of asking God to bless us and what we are truly asking for in that endeavor.

Fancy Meeting You Here!
Once there was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it would be a long trip to where God lived, so he packed a suitcase full of Twinkies and cans of root beer (his two favorite foods) and set off on his journey. He had only gone a few blocks when he passed an older woman, sitting on a park bench just staring at some pigeons. She looked sad and lonely, so the boy went over and sat down next to her. He opened his suitcase, took out a package of the Twinkies and offered it to her.

She gratefully took it and smiled at him. Her smile was so warm and wonderful that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a can of his root beer. Once again, she took it and smiled at him. The boy was delighted. They sat there all afternoon, eating the Twinkies, drinking the root beers and watching the pigeons, without saying a word to each other.

As it grew dark, the boy realized that he had better get started home and got up to leave. But before he had gone just a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the older woman and gave her a big hug. She gave him the biggest smile of all.

When the boy got home, his mother noticed how happy he seemed. So she asked him what he had done all day. He told her: "I had lunch with God. And you know what? She has the most beautiful smile that I've ever seen."

Meanwhile, the older woman had returned to her home. Her son also noticed how happy and contented she seemed, so he asked her what she had done that had made her so happy. She said to him: "I sat in the park and ate Twinkies with God. You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Each of those people were blessed. They were each given something that they desired and needed. Jabez was doing much of the same thing; seeking out God to gain what he desired. And those desires Jabez made known in these two verses in I Chronicles.

Jabez Who?
So who was Jabez and why is he mentioned in Scripture? Good question. I Chronicles 4 begins with a genealogy of people whose names you can hardly pronounce. It goes on for forty-four names, when suddenly the writer stops. And in verse 9 writes, "Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ''Because I bore him in pain.''"

My word, what a way to start your life. In this era names were important. How many of you know what your name means? In this culture, everyone knew. In fact your name was not picked by your parents after looking through dozens of baby name books. It was given to you based upon some event that happened at your birth or because of where you were born.

For example, Isaac means "laughter" because his mother bore him in her old age. Jacob means a “sup-planter or one who is cunning/clever/one who tricks”. We know Jacob tricked his brother right out of his birthright. Jeremiah means “God hurls or throws”. Jeremiah hurls himself right into the midst of the suffering and despair of his people and is known as the "weeping prophet." Naomi named her sons Mahlon and Chilion, which mean "Puny" and "Pining." Both died in early adulthood. Solomon means "Peace." He was the first king of Israel who did not go to war. And, of course, Jesus: God saves; Emmanuel: God is with us.

But here we have, because I bore him in pain. What an obstacle to overcome. But Jabez does just that. In verse 10, “Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!’ And God granted what he asked.”

And you know what happens after that? Neither do I. 1 Chronicles 4 immediately goes back to the genealogies and Jabez is never mentioned again. That is it. Jabez gets two verses stuck in the middle of an extensive genealogy. So what can we learn from these two verses. Plenty! And we will talk about a bunch of it over the next three weeks, but today I want us to focus on two things: is it okay to ask for blessings for ourselves and what is it we are truly asking for when we do.

Bless Me!?!
Some people may be uncomfortable asking for God to bless them; viewing it as selfish or self-centered. But Scripture tells us otherwise. Proverbs 10:22 tells us, “The Lord's blessing is our greatest wealth; all our work adds nothing to it”. Blessings are good things, things we cannot do for ourselves, things we can only get from God. So how can we get these things? Jesus says ask. From our first Scripture lesson this morning, Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened”. James, Jesus' brother, echos those sentiments in James 4:2, “You do not have because you do not ask.” Asking is what we are called to do. It is what Jabez did and God granted it. God wants to bless you, God created you to bless you, God is eager to bless you. Ask. Ask today, ask tomorrow, and ask everyday from now on. And the way Jabez did it, it is not arrogant because of how he did it.

What Am I Asking for Again?
Jabez was not asking for money or power. He just wanted a blessing from God. He who was born in pain did not ask for specifics. He left it to God to decide the what, when, where, and how. Folks, that is trust. Jabez knew that the God of Israel, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, knew the best way to use him and the best way to bless him. Jabez understood that by leaving the request open, he was giving God the room to bless him in ways he could not imagine, to unleash miracles that he could not conceive by his own intellect.

Conclusion
We so often want to control God. We want to limit God and tell God what we think God needs to know. But here we have Jabez, he who was born in pain, that places all of his trust and his hope for the future in the hands of God and trusts him. My challenge for all of us is that we have that same kind of trust. We have spoken quite a bit about prayer lately; its importance, benefits, and models we can use. Now we are going into practical application. I encourage you to use these two verses as a reminder to ask God to bless you as God sees fit. Pray this prayer daily and consistently. And then watch what blessings come your way. I think you will be surprised and I know your cup will runneth over.

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