The Prayer of Jabez

      A little known hero of the Old Testament was thrust into the spotlight by a widely circulated book in 2000. The hero’s name is Jabez and he is only allotted two verses in the whole Bible.

      There were some things I liked about Bruce Wilkinson’s book, The Prayer of Jabez. There were some things I did not like. I most appreciated simply being introduced to Jabez.

      I must confess, I typically only skimmed the genealogies of I Chronicles and had missed this incredible character.

      I Chronicles 4:9-10 drives home the importance of what we are doing at the Franklin Church this October.

      As God provided this droning role call of humanity, leading up to and through the nation of Israel, He stopped to pinpoint Jabez. As we learned in a recent study, Jabez was clearly a man who stood out in a crowd.

      But what stood out about Jabez? What did God want us to notice?

      I am amazed by these two verses. When God picked out a prime example of standing out and serving Him… When He pinpointed exactly what propelled this man to greatness… God did not propound Jabez’ property, his predecessors or his prowess. He paraded Jabez’ prayer.

      Do not miss the forest for the trees. Do not get so caught up in trying to figure out what Jabez said and what each line meant that you miss the most important point in these two verses. If you never get anything else out of these two verses, get this: “Jabez called on the God of Israel.”

      The most humbling question Jabez causes me to ask is, “If God were introducing me to the world, would He be able to say anything about my prayers?”

      The reality is I have never been a good prayer. That is the real impetus behind our first Fall Focus. Over the years, I have had brief forays into intense prayer. But, like most New Year’s resolutions, after a few months the devotion dwindled (“months” being used in an editorial sense, really meaning “days”).

      I decided I needed to study prayer, not because I needed to convince everyone else to pray, but because I need to convince me to pray. I believe it is working. This study has changed my life in many ways. I hope it is working in your life as well.

      I do not believe I am a Jabez yet. I certainly know I am not at Jesus’ prayer level. But I am growing. I hope you are too. That is the great thing about being in a congregation, we can help each other grow.

      May we grow to bless God together in prayer.

Edwin L. Crozier