Today’s Reading, 1 Chronicles 3-5
Focal Scripture: 1 Chronicles 4:10 “Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only you would bless me, extend my border, let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm, so that I will not experience pain.” And God granted his request.”
If you ever needed the Lord to do a work in your life, you know what it means to call out to the Lord. I can tell you from personal experience that when life gets difficult, you will pray passionately and powerfully. Why? Because you put your feelings off to the side. All you are concerned about is reaching the throne of God and getting a response. Right now, I need the Lord to do a mighty work in my life, but I have not reached the level of passion and desperation that shakes the very throne room of heaven. God wants all of me in my prayer life, not just the parts I want to give away.
In today’s reading, we come across the prayer of Jabez. In this prayer, we see desperation and boldness. Jabez asks God to bless him and extend his borders. He wanted the Lord’s hand to be with him and to keep him from harm because he did not want to experience pain. Jabez was bold and honest about his need. Then the Lord not only heard his prayer, but he also granted his request. It never would have happened if he hadn’t called out to the Lord.
Today, I am not going to challenge you; instead, I am going to challenge myself. My prayers lately have not been bold. They have been powerless and hesitant. I need to take in the attitude of Jabez and come to the Lord boldly. When I call on him, I need to expect an answer. This is not an irreverent attitude toward the Lord but one that acknowledges his goodness and holiness.
The challenge I have for myself is to know the Lord so well that this attitude of boldness affects my prayer life and my preaching. It also needs to affect my relationships and my thinking. Because being transparent, if I am not praying in a way that shakes heaven’s foundation, am I really praying?
Please note, I am not expecting new believers to pray this way. This is a challenge to myself. I am publicly saying my prayer life must be better, and it must be bold. I desire for my prayers to transform my heart and stir my soul.
So I challenge you to examine your prayer life and find out how desperate you are for the Lord. If you are not, it is time to fix that today.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Psalms 73, 77, 78
