Big Prayers, Bold Prayers
Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh 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
We all pray, glorifying God, thanking him for the abundance in our lives, pleading for his mercy, asking for his intervention and guidance. But, because we are human, most of us hesitate to ask too much of our God, afraid of overstepping some unnamed, unknowable boundary. We fear, perhaps subconsciously, offending God.
Jabez's prayer realizes no such boundaries. With no hesitancy, Jabez asks God to bless him, to increase his land holdings, to be with him, and to keep him from harm and pain. The prayer, a marvel of simplicity, is a great example of prayer big and bold. It reflects Jabez's deep and abiding faith in God; more importantly, it evidences Jabez's personal relationship with him. Proverbs 28:1 says that the "righteous are as bold as a lion." Jabez is that lion; through his huge prayer he acknowledges God's sovereignty, his grace, his immense love for every single one of us. Jabez prays such a prayer because he believes such a prayer! The Psalmist tells us that God will give us our heart's desire (Psalm37:4). God wants us not only to love him but to need him, daily, eternally. He is faithful to those who seek him. In the most glorious bit of this Chronicles verse, in the gift of this verse, we see God's love, his grandeur: He grants Jabez his heart's desire. Lent – this time of reflection and sacrifice and quiet – is a great time for big prayers, for bold prayers. It is a time to discover just how immense God's love for us really is. Dr. Jack Slay Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, grant me the strength to pray boldly. Grant me the faith to expect big things from you.
Jabez's prayer realizes no such boundaries. With no hesitancy, Jabez asks God to bless him, to increase his land holdings, to be with him, and to keep him from harm and pain. The prayer, a marvel of simplicity, is a great example of prayer big and bold. It reflects Jabez's deep and abiding faith in God; more importantly, it evidences Jabez's personal relationship with him. Proverbs 28:1 says that the "righteous are as bold as a lion." Jabez is that lion; through his huge prayer he acknowledges God's sovereignty, his grace, his immense love for every single one of us. Jabez prays such a prayer because he believes such a prayer! The Psalmist tells us that God will give us our heart's desire (Psalm37:4). God wants us not only to love him but to need him, daily, eternally. He is faithful to those who seek him. In the most glorious bit of this Chronicles verse, in the gift of this verse, we see God's love, his grandeur: He grants Jabez his heart's desire. Lent – this time of reflection and sacrifice and quiet – is a great time for big prayers, for bold prayers. It is a time to discover just how immense God's love for us really is. Dr. Jack Slay Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, grant me the strength to pray boldly. Grant me the faith to expect big things from you.
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