Blessing

“Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘O 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.” 1 Chronicles 4:10

The prayer of Jabez is recorded in a rather monotonous section of Scripture in a long listing of genealogies in 1 Chronicles. There’s not much we’re told about him except for what’s recorded in 1 Chronicles 4:9, which says he was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother bore him in pain, hence the name ‘Jabez’, meaning ‘he causes pain’. The Hebrew word for ‘honorable’ is ‘kabad’, which is defined as being heavy, weighty, or burdensome. The typical reading of this passage implies a positive connotation of the weightiness of being ‘honorable’, which we could logically conclude relates to his prayers and pursuit of God, but maybe there’s a weightiness in a burdensome sense like the old song from The Hollies, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”. I’m not a Hebrew scholar to unpack the use of the word ‘kabad’ with any authority, and the typical reading of the word ‘honorable’ in the positive sense seems appropriate, but maybe Jabez is seeking the Lord’s blessings on his life above the burdensomeness of his life. Maybe he has determined in his heart he’s ready to bless others rather than burden them, and he prays, “Oh that You would bless me indeed…”. Nonetheless, it seems that Jabez scanned the horizon of his life and took note of the limitations surrounding his life, and he prayed to God for blessings, enlarged borders, guidance, and protection. Beyond the implications of a name that brings memories of pain (consider the importance of names and their respective meanings in Jewish culture), he prayed the Lord’s blessings on his life. Beyond the perceived boundaries of his life lived in rather obscurity (metaphorically hidden in a long listing of monotonous geneaologies), he prayed for enlarged borders, AND he prayed that the Lord’s hand would be upon him and protect him as he goes.

As I think through the application of this passage of Scripture, I think we can each survey our own life and see borders of certain limitations, and maybe we’re thanking God that we’re content, when He’s saying, ‘test Me in this… bring the full tithe into the storehouse… and see if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing without measure’ Malachi 3:10. During my time at CIU, a professor said, ‘if your experience with God is not that of what you’re reading in Scripture, don’t lower your expectation of God; rather, ask God to raise your experience with Him’. I wonder if we’ve grown too content in our circumstances and our relationship with Him, and as a result, we’re quenching the Spirit in our lives when God has proclaimed the borderless abundance of John 10:10. Maybe it’s time to start praying like Jabez.

I, for one, have hesitated to pray for His blessings and ‘enlarged borders’. I’ve spent a good part of the last decade almost reveling in His provision of presence in the midst of trials, hardships, setbacks and unmet expectations, and I’ve considered my life to be most richly blessed because I’ve had the incalculable privilege of growing to love Him for who He is rather than what He provides. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve certainly been blessed beyond measure in the grand scheme of things, and my life has been relatively easy as I look out on the hardships of the vast majority of the world, but nonetheless, the relativeness of my trials, hardships, setbacks, and unmet expectations have been a very real felt experience that the Lord allowed me to walk through with Him to grow me in the grace and knowledge of who He is. I also wondered for many years if the Lord doesn’t trust me with more because He knows that my heart for Him might be dulled in apathy and complaceny like the warnings of Hosea 13:6 and Deuteuronomy 8:13. …But I sense now there’s a shift taking place in my heart. I’m hearing the reports of His extraodinary work all over the world, I’m hearing preachers boldly calling us to prayer for revival, I’m hearing sermons on the yoke of bondages being broken, and I’m about as excited as I’ve been in a long time as I look out on the years ahead and pray along with Jabez, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my borders…”.

As we each scan the horizon of our own lives and take note of any perceived or actual borders that exist, I believe this is what God has for each of us individually, and collectively as His church, regarding His blessings for His glory and our good. As followers of Christ, we’re living in an exciting time in history, and it’s clear that God is moving in very powerful and particular ways all over the world and in our nation; like Jabez, I sense that now is the time to pray that God move us beyond any perceived limitations, and to be intentional in asking for more of Him. Join me in praying that we might profoundly experience more of Him and tangibly receive His blessings, enlarged borders, His hand of guidance, and His protection from evil.

If you took note of the difference in the two pictures I’ve selected for this post, maybe you noted that both were equally beautiful scenery, but the first is a beautiful sunset on a country road bordered by fences, and the second is a beautiful sunrise overlooking the seemingly borderless ocean. There’s always an unending joy and absolute contentment in a life hidden in Christ, no matter our circumstances, but there’s also always a newness and an excitement for what’s to come. Maybe this is a season that God wants to specifically focus our eyes more to His Sunrise of new beginnings in very particular ways. Maybe it’s a season to be praying with fervency for what’s to come. “Behold, I am doing a new thing…” Isaiah 43:19. He’s placed this on my heart; maybe He’s placed it on your heart too. What an exciting time to be alive, and what an exciting adventure we’re on.