This prayer is tucked away in a rather obscure place in Scripture. I am sure I have read past this prayer dozens of times without giving it a second thought. In all honesty, it is in a series of verses that are rather hard to read. This prayer of an unknown man named Jabez is in one of those places in scripture filled with endless names and family trees. All of a sudden, in the middle of a list of the descendants of the tribe of Judah, this prayer stands out.
We don't know much about Jabez. We know he was honorable and he got his name because his mother experienced severe pain at his birth. We also know in 1 Chronicles 2:55 that there was a town with the same name. So, his life is not memorable and as far as we know he was just a common man. His prayer was simple and powerful. At the end of the prayer, it states, "And God granted him his request."
Wow! Can you imagine living a life being blessed in all you do, not knowing trouble or pain? Yet, that is exactly what Jabez prayed and God granted his request!
As I have prayed this prayer there is one word that has always stood out to me. Jabez asked God to expand his TERRITORY. He did not ask God to expand his KINGDOM. There is a huge difference. A Kingdom has a supreme ruler who is served and the KING administers all justice. A territory on the other hand is smaller than a Kingdom and the administrator of the territory reports to someone else, more than likely, the King. The manager of a territory has the responsibility to make sure he is fruitful for the King and the best way to do that is to make sure the workers of the ground, the territory, receive all the support they need to be fruitful. EXPANDING YOUR TERRITORY MEANS YOU HAVE MORE WORK TO DO AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE! My responsibility in the Kingdom of God is to make sure the people in my sphere of influence have all the support and resources they need to be fruitful for the Lord.
When Jabez asked to expand his territory he was asking God to help him grow his area of responsibility. He wanted more people to serve! Why would he do that? Who prays for more work to do?
This is a "dangerous prayer" because someone who prays it is asking God to send more people to pray for, teach, fellowship, and share meals. (Acts 2:42) It is dangerous because you better be prepared for the consequences of the answer!
Do you really want to pray this prayer? Do you know what you are asking? Each of us should have the same desire as Jabez, but are we willing to make the sacrifices needed to serve more people for our King, Jesus?
My ministry is NOT about expanding my own Kingdom. The only Kingdom I'm a part of already has a ruler. His name is Jesus! My ministry is about serving others, sharing the Gospel with as many people as I can, and helping disciples make more disciples. I need a daily reminder I am serving the King and my job is to care for the flock, the TERRITORY he has assigned to me.
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