Main Scripture: 1
Chronicles 4
9 Now Jabez was
more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in
pain.” 10 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)
“Hear
my cry, Oh God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry
unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher
than I.”(Psalm 61:1-2 KJV)
In
today’s main Scripture reading we find that Jabez’ mother actually named him
“PAIN” in the Hebrew language! Her reason for stigmatizing this poor child like
this was that she had borne him in pain! Duh!!! Aren’t all babies borne this
way? Has any woman in the course of history ever borne a child in pleasure,
gleefully doing her “breathing” as she pushed the baby out of the constricted
birth canal? Maybe her pain was an emotional one. She may have had a
complicated delivery, perhaps a breech birth? Who knows? But why take out her
subconscious anger at God, or at the prevailing circumstances on the innocent,
little baby? After all, God was the One who had increased the woman’s pain in
childbearing, as a result of her disobedience in the Garden of Eden, remember? What
I am trying to say here is that the baby is no way at fault.
Talk
about having three strikes against you from birth, not to mention his childhood
and adolescent years, with numerous instances of “Hey Pain, pass me the sugar, please. … Pain,
get ready for bed! …. Pain, wipe that smile off your face”. How his name, really
and truly must have caused him PAIN. as he was growing up! But there came a
time, when Pain decided he had had enough and prayed that God would remove the
restriction his name had had on him all of his life. He wanted out of that
confining box! Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my
border, and that your hand might be with me; and that you would keep me from
harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.
How deep and
prolonged is your “OH God”? Does it come from way down in your belly? A quick
mental prayer won’t do it. Some situations call for prayer AND fasting; confession
of sin to each other; forgiveness of others, of self.
In James 5:16 we read: “Confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The earnest prayer of a righteous
person has great power and produces wonderful results. (NLT)
God answers heartfelt prayers / groanings that come from
deep within us.
RE* J* oicita PROductions
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