BENEFITTING FROM THE PRAYER OF JABEZ: A Teaching For Those Who Want To Change Levels
I Chronicles 4:9-10, KJV
"9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested."
There is the conventional crying or action while there's the unconventional. Jabez cried! He cried! Why did Jabez call on God? He cried because he wanted to change his situation. The situation Jabez met himself was not his creation. Whether it was however his creation or not isn't the ultimate. Where the matter is is changing the situation. You can't forever mourn the past when you should take responsibility for the future. Jabez had been cursed subtly at birth and he needed to break off from this pronouncement that has been moulded into a yoke which yielded to him undesirables.
On that note, he called on the God of Israel. He attacked and addressed a particular quarters. He knows every good and perfect gift comes from above. Now, before he cried, he came to the discovery of something not good. He got to a place where having spoken with himself, he decided not to continue that way again. He must off course have seen a lot of disgraces and embarrassments which brought him to himself to say, "enough!" He wanted freedom and he set his mind on it and not any other thing. If you had met Jabez at this time and had asked him what he wanted, he would have mentioned one thing, "change." Jabez knew what to address and then who to address. It was God he called unto. He didn't cry to the mother and say, "make another pronouncement." You must know where to face, who to appeal and draw your requests on.
How many people are tired of where they are, who they are and the repeating happenings in their lives? Until you are tired and wanted a turn of event, you can't take a corresponding action. Jabez got to this brink. He got where he knew nobody would turn things for him except he does it himself. Therefore, like Jephthah, he took his life into his hands and advocated for his cause from the Father. He petitioned God. Like an angry man, he refused to leave God alone nor be comforted. God saw the desperation and signed his demands.
Come and see contention in the spirit. When Jabez cried to God, it is equal to fighting that curse or label put on him in the spirit. There was a violent reaction. Things shook in the spirit and what was the result eventually?
Jabez then became a new being. One who could be described as being honourable than the children of his mother. But that was not Jabez before. A new Jabez now walks the town. Hallelujah!
Today, may your identity change. May you be known otherwise from the past. May there be a turning and a wide distance from how you're negatively described to how you'll begin to be positively described.
But before any of these will happen, you must come to the realization of your condition. You must be pained. You must be angry to have a new life. When you are, then you'll see new ideas, actions etc flooding you as practical steps by which your life, status etc would change. Jabez prayed. You may not necessarily pray but rather may take actions which you've never taken before that will bring that new dawn on you.
PRAYER: Sensitize me to what I should resist. Let my awareness lead to unconventional acts to desire change. I receive a distinction that deviates from past's reputation.
