2 Chronicles 4:9, 10 Now Jabez was more honourable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying “because I bore him in pain.” 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. NKJV

Speak The Word

Jabez’s mother bore him in pain and she named him so, I am sure that he was a man accustomed to all sorts of pranks and ridicule from all corners in his life especially as he was growing up; by peers, by those above and below his age. He was accustomed to hearing all sorts of fun being made about him but as we clearly see he was neither satisfied nor contented with this situation. He challenged this status quo in his life using the correct method. He didn’t go about complaining or passing blame to other people who picked on him all the time. He didn’t blame his parents for naming him thus but he clearly understood to whom to address his plea for a change of name.

He is said to be more honourable than his brother’s because he is not one who passed blame to other people, he also understood that he could not change his own status in any way by himself. His brothers appear to be content with their statuses and nobody could blame them. Although they were given better names, their individual substances are not clearly indicated in the Bible. But Jabez decided not be satisfied with his lot/status in life so he prayed to God to change his and the Bible says that God heard him.

There is something very special about the way Jabez phrased his prayer; first he asked to be blessed by the will of God and not his own will. He didn’t limit God on which way he wanted such blessing, he just said, “oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory” he knew that his life needed a wholesome overhaul. So he let God do it according to His will, in fact this man knew his limits so he needed to fully surrender to the magnanimity of God which of course is limitless. His approach to this whole issue is very humble, without any ambiguities or complaints.

This teaches us that instead of whining, complaining and pointing fingers we should be more focused on what we need God to do for us and not what people have failed to do for us. When he prayed for his blessing, he did want to be blessed so that he could compare himself with other brothers or anybody else for that matter. He also prayed that he should not cause pain to others, many people do not know about this secret. Some people pray so something so that other people might notice them and be praised by the society even if it means hurting others. Jabez was somebody who had been hurt by others for a long and but he didn’t want a repeat of the same hurt to others.

What he wanted unlike many people today he wanted this very special blessing indeed, that his blessing should never cause anyone else any harm. He didn’t want to show off his new status nor use it to offend others. He was mindful of other peoples’ welfare; no one else should suffer as a result of his elevated status. This teaches us a new concept of prayer, that our blessings should not be the cause of pain or hurt to other people. This request was granted, the percentage of the fulfilment is not indicated so it is only safe to surmise that he was answered in total.

1 Samuel 1: 10, 11, 17 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” …..Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” NKJV

Hannah was the first wife to Elkanah who was childless for a long time; through her barrenness she was continually provoked and derided by her co-wife Peninah. Her soul was constantly in torment, always in constant pain caused by her co-wife and yet her prayer to God shows no such bitterness but only to be given a child. This child was not to be used a point of boasting but she would give the same back to God’s service. Her request to God was granted as pronounced by the man of God Eli “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”

Here, we further observe that she does not harbour any bitterness against her co-wife in this prayer but she requested God to remove her affliction caused by her condition and another person. Her motive apparently is to glorify God in this request and not exalt herself. We should learn from her not to keep blaming those we perceive as our enemies whether real or imaginary. Again she wanted to give back the gift to God, meaning the glory was not hers but God’s. Because of this, God blessed her even beyond this first child, for her womb was fruitful beyond her imagination.

We can clearly see a common characteristic between these two people, Jabez and Hannah. They both went through a lot of taunting and suffering in the hands of other people but in their prayer we see them as people who are not vindictive at all, they besought God’s blessing for honourable purposes. We need to learn from them this secret, that we should not be driven by our pains to ask for something to hit back at our tormentors. God would not grant such kind of prayer, if anyone had such a thought while praying should stop and rephrase their prayers and motives; because you cannot fool God

1 Kings 3:10-14 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” NKJV

The motive of the prayers we say before God matters and even the reasons for the same matters even more as we in a prayer that was prayed by King Solomon. The king didn’t want wisdom to seek respect or a good name fro himself or to show off to people but to rule the people of God. This is a very important aspect of prayer to learn and observe whenever we are praying, the motive. Ask yourself this question before anything else ‘for what reason are you placing that request before God?’ If your motive is to glorify God, then you can be sure it shall be granted but if the same is to bring you glory then it won’t happen.

This means that God evaluates the motives behind our prayers and answers accordingly; “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; most people would like to have this or that so that other people might respect them or fear them or to be recognized, all these are selfish and self-serving prayers that God will not grant. We must have proper motives for the prayers we place before God if we need speedy answers from Him.

There are some very important things that we should learn before going before the Lord, God is speaking about what made Him grant Solomon’s prayer in the way He did. We also see that He did not answer within the parameters in which Solomon had prayed; He went beyond the king’s wildest expectations.  Whenever we pray to God for anything that brings Him glory, we find that He not only grants what we have requested for but He goes way beyond according to His will and not our will.

That is the secret that Jabez, Hannah and Solomon realized when they prayed because the same was granted without any hindrance. We must learn this method of prayer, thought obvious in the Bible but discernment is not as obvious and that is why we continue to suffer waiting for answers that are not coming.

Acts 10:3-5 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. NKJV

Cornelius was a man who loved God at a time when gentiles were not expected to receive salvation, but through this revelation he was able to send for Peter who was used by God to lead him to salvation. “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter….” His prayer before God is not specified here but for him to get this kind of an answer is evident enough that he was praying in the right way.

We know that having fellowship with non Jews at that time was an abominable thing to do for anybody Jewish. Many Jews believed that salvation was only meant for them; so preaching salvation to the Romans was unheard of during those times. Even apostle Peter was astonished by what God said to him in the vision regarding that matter at hand, however he didn’t struggle with it for long because he had knowledge that Jesus was the Savoir of all mankind. Cornelius’ prayers and his generosity to the Jews in general were not meant to glorify him but to glorify God’s and general salvation to the gentiles.

From that revelation we are able to discover that nothing goes to waste when done in God’s name and the gospel was then preached to all mankind without any boundaries because Peter was rebuked in that vision not call defiled what God had sanctified. God’s view of a person’s prayer has consistently remained the same, that it should bring glory to Him and not the supplicant.

Job 10:12, 13

You have granted me life and favour, ad Your care has preserved my spirit. ‘And these things You have hidden in Your heart; know that this was with You: NKJV

Job through his trial knew that even the life he was living, as painful as it was a gift from Almighty God that is why he was acknowledging Him in such words. God grant everything in this life as Jesus once said that without Him nothing was possible. We therefore need to focus our Christian life on God for it is He who grants life and favour.

Many of us want favour from time to time but sometimes we tend to forget where such favours come from when things don’t turn out the way we envisaged. The favour of life comes from God among other favours we receive or need. It is imperative that we should acknowledge God in everything we are doing for it to succeed, even salvation is granted by God, it is not automatic, but a favour to be in whatever position we occupy in life is also granted by God.

Brethren, it is my sincere prayer today that you don’t make the mistake of assuming that your life is your, it isn’t. It is a favour that God has given you, use it wisely to His glory and honour. His care shall preserve your spirit even if your body is undergoing any form of torment like the one Job went through, for He says in Psalm 51:17 – The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. NKJV.

God grants all prayers of those that break their spirit and pray not according to what they think they deserve but what God has, according to His will apportioned for them. Through this let us change our prayer approach and remember to factor God’s will in everything we desire and we shall receive it if our motives are right.

Let’s pray, Father in the name of Jesus I thank you for this opportunity, revelation and realization that I need to pray in a certain way that glorifies You alone. Your faithfulness to such prayers is guaranteed. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.

This devotional was written by Bishop Joseph Koburu Mukiira of Maximum Victory and Joy Worship Centre Nairobi, Kenya. It is brought to you Courtesy of Journey 2 Joy International Ministries Inc. USA.