LIKE JABEZ, IT IS TIME TO ANSWER ME, LORD

Post date: Aug 29, 2016 3:49:54 AM

“And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” 1 Chronicle 4:9-10

At his birth, Jabez mere physical appearance was very offensive and the sight was not pleasing to his parents in any way, what they saw in him was quite contrary to their previous expectations of him and any of request or assumption in prayer; when they saw him, they were instantly sad at his image, sad at everything about him, when they saw him they remembered a continuation of their past sorrows and his parents instantly lost all hope in themselves; lost all hope in him as they did on their previous children and mistakenly lost all hope that he will ever be someone to look up to in their old age, to have peace in continuous living, to have a smile, comfort and to rely on for any good thing in life. They saw him as him a reminder of the sorrow they had hope to forget after his birth; they saw him as a stigma that will live with them forever; they saw him as a shame to themselves and their family; they saw him as an addition to pains of having children; they saw him as a liability; they saw him as someone who will never be independent in life and someone with a life hindering disability.

They gave a name to reflect their life frustration; they gave a name to remind him of his situation and his disability forever; they gave a name that will forever spell doom for him anywhere he goes in the world; they gave a name that reminded him always of his shame and disability and they have him a name that provoked his thoughts and desires for a change and a divine touch to his entire body and future aspirations; they gave a name that when people hear they will look at him twice and think of him in a negative way. They gave him a name that reminded him and everyone else in the world that will ever associate with him that his parents had problems with their own destiny and desires in life when he was conceived and when he was delivered. They gave a name that reminded him of his parent’s problems that had been transferred to him. They gave a name that no one would love to have, remembered and retained.

What did Jabez do when he grew up to realize what had happened to him, what his parents had done to him and what deplorable situation he had been in since birth? He summed up courage to seek redress from God rather than confrontation with his parents; he summed up courage to cry to God in prayers instead of cry to men for help; he summed up courage to do what his parents could not do and to go the place his parents could not go for redress; he summed up courage to stand before the Almighty God in his shame and disability to speak and make a request that was quite different from the request of others before and around him; he summed up the courage to approach the throne of heaven for grace and seek help in times of need. His request was not a change of name or circumstance but a change of situation and the effect of the name on his life and future. What was his pointed request in prayer? (1) Oh, that God would bless Him despite being cursed by his parents and given a derogatory name. (2) That God will expand him and also expand his territory despite the restriction he suffered because of his physical disabilities. (3) That God will be with him in all that he does even as his parents and men were distancing themselves from him because of his shame. (4) That God will keep him from all trouble and all pains associated with all his life difficulties. His request did not show any anger at anyone and did not unnecessary request. The conclusion is that God granted him his request and changed things around for him forever. God turn his shame around, took his disabilities away, and kept him safe from all further humiliations. God took him above family expectations. Click here