Two kinds of Prayers

Scripture verses that caught my attention today: 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 Jabez was honored more than his brothers; and his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!” And God granted what he asked.

Observation: Though popular, this is not the only prayer in the Bible and so it may not be wise to pattern our prayers completely after it.

Application: Several years ago there was a popular book called “The Prayer of Jabez.” Few had even heard of Jabez before that and it’s little wonder—this is these are the only verses where Jabez (the person) is mentioned in the Bible (Jabez, the town, is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2). At any rate, the gist of the book was that we shouldn’t be afraid to pray for ourselves first. Okay…perhaps. Jesus did say at one point “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). But those are a couple of great big IF’s! More telling, I think, is the Lord’s prayer. It’s been said that the Lord’s prayer includes seven petitions or requests. Here they are:

1 Hallowed (Holy) be your name
2 Your kingdom come
3 Your will be done on earth as in heaven
4 Give us today our daily bread
5 Forgive us our sins and we forgive those who sin against us
6 Save us from the time of trial (or “lead us not into temptation)
7 Deliver us from evil

It’s interesting to note that the first three petitions deal with requests for Spiritual things and the last three requests deal with requests for protection from evil things. Only one petition, the one right in the middle, asks for anything in this life and it’s not about enlarging borders and the like but simply for the daily necessities.

I have nothing against Jabez and his prayer or anything against the author of the book that bears his name. We are told that God answered Jabez’s prayer. So be it; that’s God’s prerogative. But I do think the prayer is over-rated. And I think that when we do abide in Jesus and his words abide in us, the nature of our prayers change. So do our ambitions.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be more like you, less like those who are not like you, and provide us with what we really need to carry on in this world in your name. Amen.

(Readings today included: 1 Samuel 14, 1 Chronicles 4, 2 Corinthians 13)