Who Are You When You Pray?: 5. Jabez

1 Chronicles 4: 9-10

The Prayer of Jabez is probably the most well know prayer in the Bible at the minute next to the Lord’s Prayer. Even in the sphere of non-Christians; business-men read it on their long hall flights and pray that their businesses may be blessed; but it’s not a formula. Copying this prayer certainly does not mean the same will happen to you but copying the lifestyle will cause you to stand in the place of the open heaven that Jabez stood in, that meant that he was blessed beyond his own reason. Certainly people pray the prayer and their testimony shows that God has worked miracles, opened doors for witnessing about Jesus and poured out abundant blessing.

Today though I’m not being sceptical I’m rather focusing on who Jabez was when he prayed and I believe that this was what caused his prayer to be heard and ‘granted’ by God. It says in verse 9 that 'Jabez was more honourable than his brothers…'. Today, by praying out of a place where you are an honourable person, a person of integrity and faithfulness, rather than simply praying a 'formula' without looking at how you are living, you will find that that opens the heavens above you and God pours out blessing. It says in Proverbs 15: 29 'The prayers of a righteous man avails much.' Today, standing in the righteousness that Jesus gained for us on the cross and applying it to our daily lives, we can stand under an open heaven.

Sara Hesbrook

2003-05-27