1 Chronicles 4:10

"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."
1 Chronicles 4:10


Right in the middle of all the listing of lineages, whoever compiled 1 Chronicles stops and adds a couple of verses about this guy Jabez. :)  This is one of them, and it intrigues me because I wonder why it was stuck in here.  I've been thinking about prayer today anyway, and I think that it is a good example.  The only thing that distinguishes this man from any other man in the list is that he prayed.  He humbled himself and asked God for help, and God helped him.  Sometimes I think that we are in the same position as Jabez.  We're in the middle of a list of names... how can we make a difference?  How can we make a difference to the people listed after us?  How can we become the beacons that God asks us to be?  How do we convince the compiler of the list to make a few comments before he goes on to the next name?  And the answer is the same today as it was for Jabez.  We pray.  Whatever we are searching for... God has the answer.  He can show us how to make a difference in the world.  He can show us how to overcome our weaknesses, and how to turn them into strengths.  He can show us how to love... how to become who we have the potential to be.  He is the greatest teacher in the universe, and we can learn anything we want to learn from him... but we have to ask... and then we have to listen to what he says, and do it.  We can't learn without making any effort to read and study.  We can't learn without communicating with the one who knows way more than we do about every subject.  We all have burning questions within us... we all have the desire somewhere within ourselves to grow and improve... to become better than we are.  God has the answer to anything we seek... Like He did for Jabez, He can do for us.  He can keep us from evil... enlarge our coasts, and bless us.  He can teach us anything that we are willing to learn... so that is the question.  What are we willing to learn?  Are we willing to go to God today with our questions, and a commitment to study and work at the lessons that he gives us?  If so... nothing is out of our reach.