Many years ago I read a book titled: ‘ The prayer of Jabez” written by Bruce Wilkinson. This book centers on the story of Jabez, a man who made an unusual prayer and received extraordinary results. That’s pretty much it. The Bible doesn’t mention him before 1 Chronicles 4, and it doesn’t mention him after either. There is very little we know about him. From this Bible chapter, we find out that he is a descendant of Judah. His mother gave birth to him in pain. Her pain was so much that she named him Jabez which literally means “born in pain” or “sorrowful”. And, for some reason, he stood apart from his brothers. Jabez was blessed.
But what is it about Jabez that makes him special? Why does there seem to be something extraordinary about this seemingly ordinary man?
Every time I read the short story of Jabez in the Bible, my mind can’t help but make the connection between his unusual prayer and Matthew 7:7
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”
What makes this story so extraordinary is the fact that Jabez was an ordinary man just like you and me, who was living extraordinary things because he dared to ask.
Simply because of that?
The Bible clearly states how much God likes it when we approach Him like a child approaches his father. When a little kid needs or wants something, the kid, without hesitation communicates it to his father. God wants us to have the same kind of trust in Him. To approach Him with all the trust in the world, knowing that whether He grants us our requests the exact way we expect Him to or not, His care and best intentions are always there for us.
As we are entering a new year, let us do it with an thankful attitude. Let us step ahead boldly in the name of Jesus, and communicate our requests to God.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
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