The Prayer Of Jabez
Made All The Difference

“Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’ And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested.” 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NKJV

Yet these two verses present a man who made a difference for the Lord. The fact that we know little about Jabez ought to provoke our curiosity. Especially if he was a man who made a difference. For if Jabez can make a difference for the Lord, so can we. Robert Murray McCheyne, the noted Scottish preacher made a statement every believer should memorize: “It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus.”1

McCheyne’s statement is true, as the Lord’s purpose for every believer is to be like Christ (Rom. 8:29). Since this is so, then we can stand out in the area where God has placed us. Furthermore, as this is what the Lord expects of us, we need to learn what qualities are necessary to make a difference for Christ. Let’s look at four areas in Jabez’s life which make him a man who made a difference for God.

A Man Of Character
Let’s look at Jabez’s character first. In verse 9 we read, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.” In Hebrew, the phrase “more honorable” means “more weight.” Writers of old wrote, “Jabez was weightier than his brethren.” When these writers used this expression they were saying he was a man of depth, a man of character.

What is character? The 19th century English writer, George Eliot defines it as “destiny.”2 This is especially true in relation to our thought life. The thoughts we dwell upon will be expressed in our actions. One writer put it this way: “Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.”

We are shaping our characters daily and thereby shaping our destinies, not in terms of eternal salvation but in our usefulness to God. We might want to follow the example of the man who kept this motto on his desk: “As now, so then.” When asked what it meant he replied, “If I am lazy now, so will I be lazy 10 years from now. But if I am working, praying and trusting now, so will I be 10 years from now.” Jabez lived out this motto.

Who Knew His God
Second, let’s look at Jabez’s relationship to God. He prayed to the “God of Israel.” He knew God – that He is powerful and trustworthy, and that He listens to prayer. Jabez also knew the kind of life he needed to live to approach God and have his prayer answered.

If we are to make a difference, we too must know our God. In Knowing God, J. I. Packer says that people who know God have: great energy for God (Dan. 11:32); great thoughts of God (Dan. 2:20-23 and 9:4, 7, 9, 14); great contentment in God (Rom. 8:1, 16, 28, 30, 33, 35; Dan. 3:16-18); and great boldness for God (Acts 4:29; 5:20).3

Who Took God’s Side
Third, not only did Jabez know God, he also took God’s side. His name means “pain” and “sorrow.” We get an idea of what caused his sorrow as we read his prayer. He prayed: “Keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.” Jabez found that doing evil only brought about pain and sorrow. He saw sin as God sees it – wicked and abhorrent.

Because Jabez saw sin from God’s perspective, he wanted to make sure it was not found in his life. Unfortunately, we live in a day in which sin is glorified. Vance Havner made this sad observation: “There was a time when sin shocked us. But as the brainwashing progresses, what once shocked us now only amuses us.”4

If we take God’s view we will develop hatred for sin. This also will cause us to make a difference in the world. This is echoed in a statement by John Wesley: “Give me 100 men who love God and hate sin and I will change the world.”

A Man Of Prayer
The last area we will examine is the prayer of Jabez. No one can make a difference by himself. We all need to rely on the almighty God, and His power can only be tapped by prayer. It’s interesting that the only thing the Bible tells us about Jabez is his prayer. Prayer is so important in the believer’s life and yet we pray so seldom. S. D. Gordon reminded us of prayer’s importance when he stated, “The greatest thing any one can do for God and for man is pray.”5

While Jabez’s whole prayer is helpful, I want to focus only on the last part of verse 10: “So God granted him what he requested.” Can we say as much? Someone has compared a believer who has not seen God answer prayer to a bald man trying to sell a hair restorer.

Why do we fail to make a difference? Because we fail to pray – and to pray so as to see our prayers answered. When Spurgeon was asked, “What is the secret of your power?” he pointed the inquirer to a prayer meeting in the basement of the Metropolitan Tabernacle and said, “My secret is that my people pray for me.”

We can make a difference if we pray. Jabez did. Will we make a difference or be indifferent? The choice is ours.

END NOTES
1. Bonar, A., The Life of Robert Murray McCheyne, p. 3, Banner of Truth, Carlyle, 1978.
2. The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, p. 201, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1980.
3. Packer, J. I., Knowing God, pp. 24-30, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1973.
4. Hester, D. J., The Vance Havner Quote Book, p. 215, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1986.
5. Gordon, S. D., Quiet Talks on Prayer, p. 12, Fleming H. Revell Co., Chicago, 1904.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michael Campbell lives with his wife and three children in Waterville, Maine. His article first appeared in this magazine ten years ago this month.