A very curt Scriptural account of the man called Jabez is found within a historical note of genealogy of the tribes of Israel. This one and only Scriptural account is predominantly a prayer, and is truly stuffed to the gills (jam-packed) with divine instructions for all of us, on how we should approach prayer. In this four-part prayer, Jabez asked the LORD to (i) bless him, (ii) enlarge his territory, (iv) be with him always (that GOD’s hand be on him, always guiding him with His hand), and (iv) protect him from harm/evil; And GOD granted Jabez everything that He asked for [1 Chronicles 4:9-10]. GOD answered the entire prayer, every item on the list in Jabez’s prayer, and not just the blessing part of it, because he did not just want blessings from GOD, he also wanted GOD in his life, and he wanted GOD to be in all that he did in his life. Jabez desired, asked for, and indeed wanted the hand of the LORD (the blessing) and the heart of GOD (the intimate knowledge and relationship with GOD).
Jabez displays great wisdom in the third part of this prayer, in what he asks for when he says, ‘GOD be with me in all that I do’ [The Jabez Prayer—1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV/NLT]. Jabez is asking that the LORD be with him, guide him, lead him and teach him all the days of his life, more so with the blessings that GOD would give him so that the blessings do not crush him, but that his life can bring GOD glory. The revelation that we get from this short account, is that Jabez was very familiar with pain, sorrow, difficulty and struggle; Even at birth, his mother went through a lot of pain and sorrow to bring him into the world; Something was not quite right with his life. Jabez realised that his perpetual struggle was just not right, and this compelled (and propelled) him to seek GOD. Do we have the same sense of self-awareness or have we developed a tolerance for our struggles? Perhaps Jabez was self-aware and knew not to tolerate this life of pain and difficulty because he was ‘more honourable’ in nature. Perhaps this is why Jabez knew to reach deep within himself, cry out to GOD and ask GOD for help.
The life that we received in our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ, is a life of liberty. But instead of having the life of liberty and freedom as GOD intended, we feel unaccomplished, limited, stagnant, stuck, arrested and boxed in, despite our best efforts, our best intentions or how hard we try. The Bible tells us, that our GOD is the GOD of the more, the infinite, the abundant. Yet “the more” evaded Jabez and “the more” evades us. As an honourable man, Jabez knew that there was more out there, he cried out and prayed for it. As a child of GOD, you and I know that there is more to life than we have tapped into. Jabez knew, pretty much the same way that you and I know, that we have not arrived at the station in life where we ought to be, because our current life is not giving glory to GOD. Only a life that is satisfied, content, fulfilling and meaningful can bring glory to GOD. Something must break, something ought to break, change and shift us to a life of liberty. Unless and until we are serious, we stop being casual, and we stay in prayer, nothing will move or break in the spirit.
Perhaps we have not reached the point of Jabez’s desperation just yet. Perhaps we feel we still have the strength and the mileage in us to continue living with these feelings of being unaccomplished, limited, stagnant, stuck, arrested and boxed in. Countless believers, the world over, suffer a grave injustice because of the casualness, slackness and nonchalance we are sheathed in. So ask yourself this— Does the pain and suffering in your life compel you to go to GOD like Jabez did? Have you taken the dissatisfaction and frustrations of your life to GOD? Or does your pain compel you to murmur, complain and do absolutely nothing about it? Is the life that you live right now really the life that Jesus was tortured and killed for? Is yours the life that brings glory to GOD? GOD heard, answered, and blessed Jabez – Why? – because Jabez did not go to GOD complaining, finger pointing or blame shifting for his situation or the way that his life turned out. When Jabez went to GOD, he simply presented his pain and sorrow, asking, ‘GOD please do this for me’, and GOD did it for him.
The reason why casualness accomplishes nothing in the spirit is because GOD sees the source of your seeking, He sees where the prayer comes from, He sees a sincere prayer from the heart of man. GOD senses the pain, suffering, frustration, sorrow and vexation of a soul. A heart that is set and determined to make it out of the pain, suffering and sorrow comes through in prayer. It touches GOD and He cannot ignore it. Saying the Jabez Prayer on its own is not enough. Jabez did not have an egregious attitude; He was honourable; And he went to GOD in humility, in faith, in sincerity of heart, in love and forgiveness of others. Hence GOD heard him. We must posture our hearts like Jabez’s for the Jabez Prayer to work for us too. We must be living examples of Romans 13:9b-10— “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”[KJV]. This means, that we cannot approach the throne of GOD with unforgiveness, ill-feelings and bitterness towards another person, regardless of who the person is or what the person did. This is our currency in the spirit.
The currency in the spirit for the Kingdom of GOD is love. The language in the spirit is love. This is the language that GOD understands. This is the language that is heard and answered in prayer. This is how Jabez approached GOD. James 4:8-10 takes the principles laid out in Romans further, telling us that we ought to approach GOD with a pure and sincere heart and with humility, and not in self-righteousness, justifying ourselves and our actions. A pure and sincere heart does not harbour ill-feelings, unforgiveness or bitterness towards another person. GOD sees and looks at the heart; GOD’s language of prayer is the language that speaks of love and of forgiveness. And with this approach, an answer from GOD is a certainty, because GOD does not and cannot bless an unforgiving, bitter or vengeful heart. This is why the Bible says, we are to ‘guard our hearts with all diligence for everything we do flows from it’ [Proverbs 4:23 NIV]. It is out of the heart of man that the power of the Holy Spirit (i.e. the blessings, prosperity, success, victory, fulfilment, deliverance and healing that we are looking for) will flow.
The Holy Spirit will not abide and thus the power of the Holy Spirit will not flow in an unforgiving, bitter or vengeful heart. GOD does everything according to the power that is already within us [Ephesians 3:20]. If what is within you is a heart that is burdened with unforgiveness and bitterness, it will invariably close, clog up, hinder and become a barrier. The things we stash and tuck away in our hearts, cause the potential (the grace) which GOD has imbued (placed within) all of His children with to be unrealised. It is written, that ‘as a man thinks in his heart, so is he’ and that the key is right within us, if only we would adjust our attitudes and diligently guard the postures of our hearts [Proverbs 23:7; Ephesians 3:20; Proverbs 4:23]. The anointing of GOD operates with the right heart; And without the right heart, a heart guarded diligently, the LORD can do nothing. Invisible barriers, boundaries and borders that exist in the spirit must be broken for things to move in the physical [Psalms 16:6 NIV].
The Jabez Prayer came about because Jabez saw spiritual resistance and limitations, and he realised that he needed the intervention and blessing of GOD to off-set the inviable spiritual force working against him. The blessing is the invisible power of GOD for a really good, prosperous, victorious and overflowing life for us Christians. According to Ephesians 1:3, all Christians are already blessed with all spiritual blessings in and through Christ. But how do we walk in this blessing, in this blessedness, that is ours in Christ Jesus? Psalms 16:5-7 TPT answers the question and says, we are to walk in our blessedness by following the path and timing of GOD’s destiny for our lives, the destiny that each one of us is born for. True blessings, prosperity and victory, and real breakthrough happen when we follow the path, vision and the appointed time destined for our lives according to the will and the purpose of GOD. Before we call on the Jabez Prayer, let us heed what James says, to purify our hearts, cleanse our hands, humble ourselves when we seek GOD for GOD, and He will bless us with purpose and honour.
Saying the Jabez Prayer on its own is not enough. Jabez did not have an egregious attitude; He was honourable; And he went to GOD in humility, in faith, in sincerity of heart, in love and forgiveness of others. Hence GOD heard him. We must posture our hearts like Jabez’s for the Jabez Prayer to work for us too.
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