The prayers
I pray each day:
1 Chronicles 4:10 contains one of the shortest, simplest,
most powerful prayers ever prayed:
“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.”
I pray these four prayers every morning:
1. Lord, would you bless me today in every way YOU want to
bless me.
2. Would you increase my territory so that I can be used
more effectively by you.
3. Would you place your hand upon me, and use it to touch
others.
4. And would you keep me from harm and harm from me.
These are prayers God wants to answer. God wants to bless
his people. But various reasons, he often waits until we ask. So ask! (Key: ask
him to bless you in the ways he wants to. You have some ideas; give him
permission to initiate his ideas for blessing you.)
God wants to increase the size of your responsibilities.
Jesus came to build his church. Ask him to entrust as much of the building of
it to you as you can handle. Then ask him to enlarge the territory of your
heart and character so you can handle more. Life on earth is about training for
reigning with him in heaven. Grow as big as you can.
God wants to place his hand upon you. Invite him to do so
every day.
And God wants to steer you towards significance and away
from pain (unless that pain will result in your gain), so ask him for that as
well. – Jabez did, and “God granted his request.”
I not only pray this prayer for myself, I pray it
for Sharron and my family and my church family, every day.
I have discovered that there seems to be a cumulative effect to this prayer. It could be that prayers are like seeds sown in the ground. You pray them and tend them, and after an interval, they begin to sprout and grow.
I’d be interested in your feedback about
this.
“I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give ear to me and my prayer.”
– Psalm 17:6
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