Will You Bless Me? {deeper dive}
The prayer of Jabez.
The story of Jabez provides a lesson in faith and encouragement for those looking for guidance or help from God.
Around the year 2000, I remember hearing about a book called The Prayer of Jabez. I was busy raising kids and serving as a worship pastor. It was a season of me being drawn more deeply into a life of devotion and prayer.
This book was all the rage in Christian communities. I do not remember if I bought The Prayer of Jabez or received it as a gift, but I did acquire and read it. I marked up every page and read the book again. At the time, I needed encouragement and direction, and the lesson of Jabez’s prayer gave me renewed hope.
It’s not exactly a story, though. Two verses—that’s it. Two short verses in the fourth chapter of 1 Chronicles introduce us to Jabez. What’s written there is brief and stuck in the middle of the “official family records of the nation of Israel.”1
This biblical review provides a detailed history of these ancient genealogies, sometimes referred to as the ‘Who’s Who’ of characters in the story. On the list, we find Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Esau, Israel (Joseph), Judah, Boaz, David, Solomon, and the record goes on.
Sinners and saints alike make the list, along with their many descendants. Some were stalwart followers of God, while others disobeyed His instructions repeatedly. And right in the middle of all this, we find Jabez.