Strong Prayer

I will be the first to confess that I don’t pray as often as I should. I pray a lot in a very informal way. One of my prayers is often one word: “Help!”.  I believe in asking the Lord for help. I believe in asking the Lord for wisdom and discernment. I believe in asking the Lord anything, because He’s promised is Presence in my life. He goes before me. He stands beside me. He is inside me. He has my back. His Presence in me changes my perspective and my experience of everything.

I was meandering through 1 Chronicles this morning and I was really trying to keep up with Judah’s family tree when I came across a celebrity of sorts from the old testament. It almost feel like a “commercial break” from the genealogies. Check this out….

⁹ There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. ¹⁰ He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request. (1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NLT)

There have been many books written about these two verses and this man named Jabez. I can’t figure out how he fits in the genealogy of the clans of Israel.  I am not a guy that believes you can “name it and claim it” in your prayers. I do believe that I can ask the Lord for anything. I do believe the Lord can do anything. I do believe that the Lord blesses me way more than I deserve.  With all of that said – I love this prayer of Jabez. I think it’s really simple but strong.

“Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory” – he’s asking for the Favor of God. I believe it’s appropriate to ask the Lord for favor.

“Please be with me in all that I do” – he’s asking for the Presence of God. The Lord promises His Presence through His Spirit to those who seek Him and follow Him.

“keep me from trouble and pain” – he’s asking for Protection that God provides. r

I think my prayers should always include a request for the Favor or Blessing from God and His Presence and Protection.  I’m not sure how long I’ll live on this earth, but I want my prayers and petitions to include these simple, but strong requests of the Lord.

Pressing On!

Dwayne