"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."
1 Chronicles 4:10
I think that this scripture kind of teaches us what to ask for. Jabez and Abraham seem similar to me in what they prayed for, and in the fact that they prayed at all. It takes some measure of humility to just admit that God is there and that you need his help. Abraham covenanted with God for land, posterity, and priesthood power. Jabez requested similar things, but the differences are interesting. I wonder if he wanted to be kept from doing evil, or just kept away from it. :) And "enlarge my coast" could be interpreted many ways. Could be land, could be posterity... could be an entreaty to enlarge his comfort zone. :) Or safety... the safety of the shore. I think, actually, that the most interesting part of this entreaty is not the content of the prayer, but the fact that he prayed and that God granted his petition. Think about what God did for the Brother of Jared when he prayed, or Moses when he prayed, or Noah... Humility, Faith, and asking for good things. It works. :) Sometimes I think that we fail to ask God for what we need because we either thing that we can swing it ourselves, or we assume that God is too busy or too displeased with us to listen. But God always listens, and answers when the time is right. We just have to be bold enough to ask, like Jabez... like Abraham. He is our father, after all. :)
1 Chronicles 4:10
I think that this scripture kind of teaches us what to ask for. Jabez and Abraham seem similar to me in what they prayed for, and in the fact that they prayed at all. It takes some measure of humility to just admit that God is there and that you need his help. Abraham covenanted with God for land, posterity, and priesthood power. Jabez requested similar things, but the differences are interesting. I wonder if he wanted to be kept from doing evil, or just kept away from it. :) And "enlarge my coast" could be interpreted many ways. Could be land, could be posterity... could be an entreaty to enlarge his comfort zone. :) Or safety... the safety of the shore. I think, actually, that the most interesting part of this entreaty is not the content of the prayer, but the fact that he prayed and that God granted his petition. Think about what God did for the Brother of Jared when he prayed, or Moses when he prayed, or Noah... Humility, Faith, and asking for good things. It works. :) Sometimes I think that we fail to ask God for what we need because we either thing that we can swing it ourselves, or we assume that God is too busy or too displeased with us to listen. But God always listens, and answers when the time is right. We just have to be bold enough to ask, like Jabez... like Abraham. He is our father, after all. :)
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