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1 Chronicles 4:9-10

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will free from pain!” And God granted this request.

The book titled, The Prayer of Jabez, took the Christian community by storm and sold a gazillion copies (give or take a few zillion). This two-sentence prayer—turned into a bestseller—had Christians everywhere praying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!”

But there is one problem when I take Jabez’s request and make it my own—God’s will for Jabez may not be God’s will for me. And the other problem is that if God doesn’t answer my prayer like he did Jabez’s, should I conclude that God plays favorites or, maybe, I didn’t use the right prayer formula?

So, here are three Talking Points we can learn from this prayer:

1. Pray great prayers. Ask God to show his favor in your life.
2. Pray personal prayers. God has something great just for you.
3. Pray according to God’s will. That’s where his blessing will be and where amazing things will happen in your life.

Father, thank you for this man Jabez and his bold prayer. Lord, following Jabez’s example, give us bold prayers of our own. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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