Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”
~1 Chronicles 4:9 – 10
You may have heard of the famous Prayer of Jabez. Author Bruce Wilkinson based his book, The Prayer of Jabez on this short portion of Scripture. So who was Jabez in the Bible? He is only mentioned a few times and just in the book of 1 Chronicles. He was an ordinary man who offered an extraordinary prayer to his God.
And what about this ordinary man’s name? In Jewish culture it was common practice to give symbolic names to children. In Hebrew, Jabez, means “He causes pain.” We have to wonder what may have happened during childbirth or what the circumstances might have been in his family that caused his mother to give her son this name.
Ancient Jewish custom also taught that a child’s name foretold his future. Perhaps Jabez’s mother envisioned a life of pain and sorrow for her son. Yet Scripture tells us Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. He defied the destiny of fulfilling the meaning of his name. His relationship with the Lord was strong and he was a man who dared to call out boldly to his God.
What name have you been given? Our pain can take many names and forms: depression, anxiety, disappointment, disease, loss of a loved one, loneliness…the list goes on. We have to wonder why the short Prayer of Jabez is tucked away in the book of 1 Chronicles. Perhaps God wants us to know through Jabez that when our name is Pain, it does not have to have the last word on our lives.
Let’s look closely at four important phrases in the Prayer of Jabez.
- That You would bless me… Jabez asked for God’s favor. Blessings are not just material blessings ~ there are spiritual blessings ~ a compassionate heart, a positive mindset, healthy relationships, etc.
- Enlarge my territory… Territory does not refer merely to land. Jabez is praying for God to enlarge the landscape of his heart so that he can make an impact for the Kingdom of God.
- Let your hand be with me… Jabez asked God to guide him and walk with him. He didn’t want to go anywhere without his God.
- Keep me from harm so I will be free from pain… In this short phrase Jabez rejects the meaning of his name. Instead, he seeks strength not from his own abilities but from God.
We too can call out to God in fervent prayer. We can choose to seek help in our pain from a friend or counselor. We can employ strategies to move forward. We are not our pain. Our lives are not defined by our pain. Just like Jabez, we have a choice.
Wilkinson, Bruce. The Prayer of Jabez, 2000. Multnomah Books: Colorado Springs, CO.