Sunday, July 15, 2001
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Sunday, July 15, 2001 |
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"Let's Hear It For Jabez One More Time" By DR. DAVID. CHANCEY
Jabez is getting a lot of attention these days thanks to a little book with a huge impact and a tremendous reception. Bruce Wilkinson's 92-page book has sold over six million copies and remains number one on the New York Times and USA Today best-seller lists. It was the nonfiction book of the year from the 2000 Retailers Choice Awards. Spinning off of the book's popularity now are Jabez coffee cups, devotional books, journals, small-group Bible studies and a video series. The book is based on a little prayer prayed by an obscure man listed among a bunch of begats recorded in I Chronicles 4. Suddenly bursting forth from this boring list of geneology is Jabez, who merits more description than the individuals listed before and after him. I Chronicles 4:9-10 reads, "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." This breakthrough prayer came from a man who stands out among his contemporaries. Why? He rose above the crowd simply because he prayed. He rose to a place of prominence because of his prayer life. What are you known for? We can be known for a lot of good things: "He's a good person. She's active in her community. She's a good mother. He's got a great garden." Jabez was known for his praying. His conversation with God distinguished him. As he turned to God, he asked for God's richest blessing upon his life. He asked that his life would have greater impact and larger influence. He requested that God's presence would be with him, and that God would keep him from doing anything that would bring grief to his life or to his loved ones. He was praying the original "help me to just say no!" prayer. His prayer got results, for "God granted him what he requested." Jack Taylor wrote, "Jabez knew what he wanted, and he went for it. He knew where to go and to whom to go for it; he asked for it, and he received it." God likes to answer prayer. Proverbs 15:8 reads, "The prayer of the upright is His delight." As delighted as I am in the increased emphasis that Wilkinson's book has brought to prayer, and as happy as I am that Jabez is getting all of this attention, I want to offer one other perspective: the prayer of Jabez is a wonderful prayer that got results, but it was never intended to be the model prayer. My concern is that newer believers will make this one prayer the cornerstone of their prayer life. Requesting is only one aspect to a growing, balanced prayer life. Our model for prayer is the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray recorded in Matthew 6:9-13. This is our pattern for balanced prayer. The prayer starts with God, not with us. It contains six petitions divided into two equal parts. The first three are concerned with God's nature and purpose. We should pray on behalf of His holiness, for the putting first of His sovereignty, and for the accomplishment of His purposes on Earth. The second group is on behalf of the petitioners. One petition has to do with God's supplying our physical needs. Another relates to restoring fellowship with God through forgiveness, and to helping us forgive those who wrong us. We need to be right with God and with each other. The final request has to do with God's protecting us from temptation and delivering us from anything that would hurt our relationship with Him. This is the prayer Jesus gave us as a pattern for a growing prayer life. So how does the prayer of Jabez jibe with the pattern prayer of Jesus? Let me suggest a guide using the acronym P-R-A-Y. Prayer begins with praise and thanksgiving. Since prayer begins with God, we open with adoration and gratitude, putting our attention on God first. That's where Jesus began. Then we release to God anything that would hinder our prayer. We confess sin (I John 1:9) and cast our cares upon God (I Peter 5:8). We release any worries or circumstances that would cause us not to focus on God as we pray. Then we ask. We pray for others, and we make known our own needs and requests. In a balanced prayer life, here is where the prayer of Jabez would come in. Pray the prayer of Jabez here. Asking is important, but it's only one part of prayer. Then we yield. Yielding involves listening to God, obeying God and bringing our life under God's authority. Jabez prayed a good prayer, and I'm glad Wilkinson's book has reminded us of the importance of prayer. We're not in this by ourselves. We have a heavenly Father we can call on and depend on. [Dr. David L. Chancey is pastor of McDonough Road Baptist Church in Fayetteville. The church cordially invites everyone to join them for Bible study at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 10:55 a.m. each Sunday. They meet at 352
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