FEBRUARY 4, 2025
Topic: “Building Intimacy in Prayer: Jabez’s Model”
Text: 1 Chronicles 4:9, 10 (NKJV)
Memory Verse: 1 Chronicles 4:9, 10 (NKJV) “…And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested…”
The Bible is full of genealogies. The ancient biblical people kept good records of the family lineage. Out text for today, I Chronicles is a book that traces genealogy back to Adam. The text today shows us the need for us to remember our heritage. We should not forget where God brought us from.
Such was the story of Jabez. In the passage, we are told “Now Jabez was more honourable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’ And Jabez called on the God of Israel…” It showed us that he had an intimate relationship with God, and that was why when he observed that he had very big setbacks in his life, he did not hesitate to call on God to change his story.
Jabez did not play the victim, he simply utilized the intimate relationship he had with God to table his request and ask for blessings from God. Jabez prayed with passion, and he was serious about calling on God. He recognized God as his source and prayed for His presence. As you step out today, remember that Jabez’s prayer constrains us to do business with God. The stories of the past give us hope for the future.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank you that you know us so well that you have the full records of our lineage with you. Today, we present our ancestral lineage to you to correct whatever has gone wrong, remove pain and give us a purpose to live for in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.