Jabez the Honourable

The prayer of Jabez has been greatly misunderstood. There is a short passage about him in 1 Chronicles 4:9–10.

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 you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!" And God granted him that which he requested.

These verses aren’t just about God taking a loser and making him into a winner because Jabez had faith. It is about what Jabez was willing to go through, in order to fulfill God’s blueprint for his life.

God’s plans for us are always good and far better than anything we could have imagined for ourselves, but fulfilling them comes at a cost. The Bible says that anyone who lives a godly life will suffer persecution.

Jabez recognized his weakness. Right at the start, his birth was so difficult that his mother moaned about it years afterwards. He grew up under this dark cloud. He may not have been as clever or as strong as his brothers. He, however, had a heart for God, and that is what made him more honourable than them.

Jabez wanted to become a success in life, so that he could help others and glorify God. People tend to envy success, and the Bible says, "Before envy, who can stand?"

He knew that being successful would bring trouble and he did not think he could endure it, unless God helped him. He wanted God to help him so much that he would not feel bothered by trouble, nor find it hard to forgive those who caused it. And God did so. He blessed Jabez, and He helped him sail on through the storms that arose because of it.

Jabez was an Old Testament version of a wise virgin who gathered extra oil for her (his) lamp. Everyone wants an anointing that helps them prosper in every area of life, but few think ahead to the enmity their success will arouse and how they will handle it. We would all crumble and become apostate, if God did not help us endure it, or as in the case of Jabez "sail on through." Few ask God for an anointing to suffer.

It is natural to feel that praying for an anointing to suffer is asking to be made a target for persecution, but if we’re serious about living a godly life, we’re going to suffer persecution whether we are rich or poor. It is good sense to ask for an anointing to suffer ahead of time and be ready for it when it comes.

What does an anointing to suffer consist of? For starters, it is strength to endure, to stay true to God, and not sell out fellow believers or throw anyone to the wolves to please the tormenters. This is being kept from evil, from doing it. Second level is to forgive the tormentors. Third level is to not even be offended by the tormentors, so there is no struggle to forgive. Fourth level is to not feel any pain or discomfort when tortured. Jabez laid hold of all four levels.

If level four seems far–fetched, consider why Jesus submitted to torture before He went to the Cross. It wasn’t just to heal us of all infirmity, injury, deformity, and scars. He took on pain in order to take away all our pain. In our covenant, by His stripes, we are not only healed of disease, but also restored to perfect Eden health, if we will only believe; there was no pain or suffering of any kind before the fall of Man.

The enlarging of one’s coast does not apply only to material blessings. In fact, one might not even own a house, yet their coast still be enlarged, if their ambition is to bring a lot of souls to Jesus. If they have to travel a lot to do it, they might find it an unnecessary expense and cost too much time to maintain ownership of a house.

Think about how you want God to enlarge your life and prepare for being envied by gathering extra oil, the anointing to bear persecution cheerfully. Jesus wants us to have fun while cooperating with His plans for our life, to count it all joy, no matter what happens.

Your word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
[Psalm 119:11]