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.”
This was an outline I preached several years
ago which I call the BELK prayer method.
1. Lord, would you BLESS
me today in every way YOU want to bless me.
2. Would you ENLARGE
my territory so that I can be used more
effectively by you.
3. Would you LAY
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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