Jabez: Prayer Through Pain

The Prayer of an Unlikely Hero

• What if prayer is the key that unlocks a life Better than the one you’re living right now?
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• When you learn to pray boldly and keep God first, He can do more with your life than you ever dreamed.
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1 Chron 4:9-10 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.

• God cares about your pain.
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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.

• Prayer isn’t a last resort—it’s the first move.
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• Prayer is the vehicle where humans interact with God
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– Priority of Prayer
– Place of Prayer
– Plan of prayer: he Lord’s Prayer (a model for structure and content), the Tabernacle Prayer (a metaphorical model for approaching God through its various parts), and the ACTS acrostic (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication)
– Power of Prayer
– Person of Prayer

Pray first.  By Chris Hodges

Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and hidden things you have not known.”

Martin Luther “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”

• Prayer is not about informing God of what He doesn’t know—it’s about inviting Him into what you can’t control.
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Don’t be afraid to ask big—God’s capacity is bigger than your request.

1 Chron 4:10 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.

• Blessed to be a Blessing.
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Gen 26:13 NKJV 13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;

3 John 1:2 NKJV 2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Gen 12:2 NKJV  2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.

• Big prayers don’t intimidate God—they honor Him.
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1 Chron 4:10 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.

• Pray to God to Increase my Sphere of Influence.
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Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us

1 Chron 4:10 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.

• God’s blessing without God’s Spirit will leave you bankrupt
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• God’s presence is better than God’s presents.
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Acts 11:21 NKJV 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

Moses Ex 33:15 NKJV 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.

He prayed for Protection:

1 Chron 4:10 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.

• Success without God is dangerous.
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Deuteronomy 8:18 “Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

Satan will try to make your life useless.  He will make you care about things that at the end of the day don’t matter.  You will find yourself distracted and ineffective with the things of God. Your outside action won’t match your inside conviction.

• Prayer is not just communion with God, But confrontation with the Devil. Chris Hodges
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It is spiritual warfare.

1 Pet 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

You have authority!

Luke 10:19 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

• When you pray boldly and keep God first, He can do more with your life than you ever dreamed.
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1 Chron 4:10 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.

• Yes—God still answers prayers.
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Let me give you five promises straight from Scripture:

• Matthew 7:7–8: “Ask and it will be given to you.”
• 1 John 5:14–15: “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
• Jeremiah 29:12: “You will call on me and I will listen to you.”
• Psalm 34:17: “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them.”
• Isaiah 65:24: “Before they call I will answer.”

Charles Spurgeon said: “Asking is the rule of the kingdom.”

God still answers prayers. He may say “yes,” “no,” or “not yet”—but He never says, “I don’t care.”

 

• If it matters to you, it probably matters to God.
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Jabez started with pain (his name means “sorrow”) but ended with blessing.

Challenge: What if you became the “Jabez” in your family, your workplace, your community—the one who prayed boldly and trusted God fully? What if you prayed like Jabez this week—not small, safe prayers, but bold, God needing prayers to live a blessed life to be a blessing.