Like me, Paul Van Hoesen avoided the prayer of Jabez, from I Chronicles 4:10 (NIV).
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 be free from pain.”
And God granted his request.
He sent such a powerful meditation to Bob and me yesterday.
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Yahoo!
The Prayer of Jabez Feast Month!
I must admit, I was not a big Prayer of Jabez fan in the beginning.
In a Pharisaical twitch, I originally classified it as “Prosperity Gospel” and shunned it, but has Bobby won me over with his earnestness and depth around this Prayer.
Pharisees be gone!
We have misread Abba on this topic.
“To the pure, all things are pure.”
Jabez actually is a test of the heart.
Our heart motives are exposed by this prayer: whether by greedy wrong embrace, or knee-jerk religious repulsion.
As Derek Prince oft repeated in the early 1990’s to the poor Russian pastors climbing out of the oppression of the Soviet Union: “The greatest test is prosperity.”
The purity of the opening cry of Jabez’ heart—“O that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory!”—is not truly seen until one’s motives for taking (or refusing) the cry on our own lips is purged.
I don’t think I yet grasp it fully, but this year light is arising about enlargement.
Strong’s H7337: enlarge: to broaden (literal or figurative): make room, make (open) wide; to be or grow wide, be or grow large; to be widened, be enlarged; broad or roomy pasture; to make large;to enlarge
Psalm 4:1: “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer” (KJV).
Or, in The Passion Translation: “God, you are my righteousness, my champion defender. Answer me when I cry for help! Whenever I was in distress, you enlarged me. [Or, “You created room for me.”] I’m being squeezed again—I need your kindness right away! Grant me your grace, hear my prayer, and set me free!”
Enlargement is offered, it is coming!
My Prayer of Preparation:
Lord, this year as we pray the Prayer of Jabez as a community, I pray for the enlargement of hearts to see all the territories You have for us at every level of life.
Expand us, that we can know all of the fullness of what You have for us and who You want to be in us.
In Jabez You offer us protection and relief via enlargement; to fellowship in your largesse which is part of Your essence.
Let us not capitulate to mere religion, refuse Your way, and shun that part of Your essential being.
Let us not either greedily fall upon the spoils and so defile Your generosity and goodness to us.
Purify our hearts, O God.
We surrender our tent pegs into your hands to expand as you will.
Enlarge us, O God, in this season, for Messiah’s sake, and in the service of His Kingdom’s expansion.
We wish to be like You in all things and learn Your marvelous ways.
Amen.
Shalom Shalom!
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Come join us:
https://praybig.me/jabez2024
This is what we hope for: that, as your faith increases, we will be given a much larger space for work,
Amy Joy
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