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michael@walkerdine.net NEW for 2007 ~ Christian Games Website
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Tel: 08708 034670 Fax: 01920 468191
michael@walkerdine.net NEW for 2007 ~ Christian Games Website
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THE PRAYER OF JABEZ OR ARE YOU A GIMPER? by Michael Walkerdine inspired by Bruce Wilkinson
I want to help you this morning to pray a daring prayer that God answers. It is brief.
Only one sentence with four parts and tucked away in the bible. But I believe it contains the key to a life of extraordinary favour with God.
I hope you are going to sit up, concentrate and join me for a personal exploration of Jabez.
NIV: 1 Chronicles 4:9 - 10 (9) Jabez was more honourable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez saying "I gave birth to him in pain". (10) Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain". And God granted his request. Kings James Version 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (9) And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying because I bare him with sorrow. (10) 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.
I spend a lot of time praying for my family, praying for God's enhancement on my life, on my finances and my church. I ask God where I should throw my energy, my passions, my experience and my training. The desire of my heart is to work for God full-time to find a church somewhere locally that needs an Office Manager, that pays well where I can be obedient if God could do that for me then I would have arrived. I would be as close to heaven as I could possible be this side of death.
Ask yourself this question this morning what could God do for you to make you feel that you are as close to heaven as you could possible be this side of death?
DO you want a bigger vision for your life. Do you want more of God's will in your life, are you tired of what life throws at you?
· Are you prepared to be a gimper? · Are you prepared to be a gimper for God? · What is a gimper? · A gimper is someone who always does a little more than what's required or expected.
In the furniture business gimping is putting the finishing touches on the upholstery, patiently applying the ornamental extras that are a mark of quality and value. Lets read that bible scripture again.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (9) And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying because I bare him with sorrow. (10) 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.
Lord I think I want to be a gimper for you?
What exactly did Jabez do to rise above the rest? Why did God answer his prayer? Why did God even include Jabez's mini profile in the bible.
Lets look at 1 Chronicles the first nine chapters are taken up with the official family tree of the Hebrew tribes beginning with Adam and going through a thousand years to Israel's return from captivity talk about boring its the sort of thing you start reading and stop very soon. I remember when I first gave my life to the Lord and started to read the Gospels. Where do you start? Matthew starts with the descendant from Abraham that was boring.
Take Chapter 4 of Chronicles: Descendants of Judah: Perez Heron Carmi Hur Shobal Ahumail Isthma Idbash Hzaelelponi Anub
Anyone ready to reach for the TV remote yet? Even the bravest bible student would turn back.
But wait 44 names into it and a story suddenly breaks through.
Jabez was more honourable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." (10) Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. In the next verse we are back to the roll call.
Something about this man Jabez caused the writer (Ezra) to pause in midstream to say there is something about this man you just gotta know this is probably the least read part of the bible . You wont find Jabez mentioned anywhere else in the bible.
So why did God orchestrate that Jabez should appear here, right in the middle of a list of names in history. Bit like the school roll call: Donger; Watson; Homfray-Cooper Snr; Blair he's the one who will be Prime Minister one day, married to Cherie; Searles; Dickinson; Hills.
Jabez started life badly his mother called him a pain as she bore him in pain. There's always a bit of pain so I'm told breach birth, Can you imagine the teasing he would have got Jabez you're a pain in the >>>>> don't be a pain Jabez ooh Too late!
He prayed an unusual one sentence prayer and things ended extraordinary well. Lets look at the first part of the prayer. Oh that you would bless me indeed! Oh that you would bless me indeed!
Not others but me bless me does God want us to be selfish does he want us to ask for more, and more again and even more than more.
Jabez had a bad start and a bad name people name there children for a reason.
Solomon peace he was the first King that had peace. . Jacob grabber a good one word biography for the scheming patriarch.
Naomi and her husband named their two sons Mahlon and Chilion puny and pining and that's exactly what they were both died in early childhood.
A name that meant pain was not a good omen but as he grew up he believed in this God of miracles and new beginnings. So why not ask for one.
That's what he did he prayed the biggest most improbably request imaginable. 'Oh that you would bless me indeed'
In Hebrew adding the word indeed is like putting five exclamation marks, underlining it in bold and in capitals.
Father, oh father bless me and make it lots and lots, make it lots and lots.
I mean Lord really bless me, bless me big style, gimme gimme gimme a wad of blessings, bless my socks off. I want to be more blessed than Jack
We hear the word bless or blessing all the time.
When we sneeze we here bless you. We bless the missionaries, the kids, food, each other.
The word has been watered down to have the same vague innocuous meaning as have a nice day already.
No wonder we Christians are not as desperate as Jabez! to bless in the biblical sense means to impart or ask for supernatural favour we are not asking for something that we could get ourselves we are looking for the wonderful sort of wonderfulness that only God can give.
Jabez also left the blessing he was going to receive up to God he just wanted to be blessed with God's best. He prayed for exactly what God desires in him left God with an open hand to do his will.
Can you ask God to bless you in this way allows God to orchestrate his plan in your life? God has blessings for you every day he has unclaimed blessings waiting for you. What if God had twenty-three blessings for you today and you only got one what do you suppose the reason would be? you didn't ask for it?
Think about this: You go to heaven and whilst St Peter is showing you round amid the golden streets, mansions and choirs of angels you notice a humungous building it looks like an enormous warehouse bigger than Glaxos!! It has no windows just one door oh! it is Glaxos. You ask to go inside and Peter tries to put you off but you insist he says you really don't want to go in there you think well why would there be any secrets in heaven. After the tour you still insist on going inside Peter says well you probably regret it but as the door opens you knock Peter down in your haste to get in you stand in awe rows upon rows upon rows upon rows upon rows of shelves full of white boxes individually tied with a red ribbons.
You notice that these boxed have names on them you say to Peter I do have one, Yes he says but . you're gone down the aisles speedy Gonzales cant keep you with you. You find your box and as you open it a moment of instant recognition and a big sign you see in the box all the blessings God wanted to give you but you just didn't ask.
'Ask' promised Jesus 'and it will be given to you' Matthew 7.7. You do not have because you do not ask James 4:2. If you didn't ask for a blessing yesterday you didn't get all that you were supposed to have.
Maybe you're a Christian that thinks God just drizzles blessings over your life at a predetermined rate, no matter what you do. No extra effort required. Or perhaps you keep a ledger with God in your blessings account you have a column for deposits and one for withdrawals.
Has God been unusually kind to you lately? Then you think you shouldn't expect, much less ask for him to credit your account, you think he should ignore you for a while or even debit your account and send you some trouble.
This is kind of thinking is a sin and a trap.
Incredible, the very nature of God is to have goodness in so much abundance that it overflows into your unworthy lives. If you think of God in any other way then change the way you think.
Why not make a lifelong commitment to ask God everyday to bless you and while your at it ask him to bless you lots.
God's bounty is limited by us.
Through a simple believing prayer you can change your future you can change what happens one minute from now.
The Second part of his prayer is a plea for more territory, where you ask God to enlarge your life so you can make a greater impact for him.
Jabez wanted more influence, more responsibility, and more opportunity.
Territory means coast, borders, estate, homestead, comfort zone, family, ranch, it is a place with plenty of room to grow.
God has given it to us he has given it to us as and when we are ready and because we prayed for it. We have prayed for it think what God would and could give us if we left our prayer open ended if we allowed God to do his will in our lives.
We think we know what we need in our lives, we certainly know what we want. But is our want to want more of God in our lives? Is our need to need more of God in our lives? Do we restrict God? Do we hold him back? Are we turning away million dollar blessings every day?
The third part is that your hand would be with me: Jabez asked God to be with him to help him guide him how many times do we try and do it alone and when the water gets deep we then ask him to help us.
When you start asking God in earnest, begging for more influence and responsibility with which to honour him God will bring opportunities and people into your path you can trust him that he will never bring someone to you whom you cannot help by his leadership and strength.
When the going get tough in your territory God will be there to support and guide you in fact if you never experience any uncomfortableness then you may be in a dangerous place you may be sitting in Satan's lap as you are not pushing the boundaries or reaching the boundaries God has given you. No pain no Gain.
Like any loving dad God is watching and waiting for you to ask for his supernatural power. With your own kids you re there to support and help William can go down a slide on his own if its a small slide a bigger slide needs Marcia or me to guide him down a monster of a slide would need me to climb up the slide with him and sit him in my lap and hold him tight as descend. William is secure in my arms he knows he is safe he knows he isn't going to fall and hurt himself.
God will protect you have you ever asked him? For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are full committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9.
He is not looking for spiritual giants he eagerly seeks those that are sincere and loyal to him. Our loyal heart is the only part of his expansion plan he doesn't provide. By his touch you can experience supernatural enthusiasm, boldness and power. He will wrap his arms around you and keep you safe.
The fourth part is 'oh that you would keep me from evil' . We have two choices imagine a magazine ad that depicts a roman gladiator in big trouble he has dropped his sword the enraged Lion seeing its opportunity in mid lunge, jaws wide. The crowd in the coliseum are on its feet watching in horror as the panic stricken gladiator tries to flee. The caption reads sometimes you can afford to come in second sometimes you cant.
By far our most important strategy for defeating the Lion is to stay out of the area. Don't go there. That's why his request was oh, to keep me from evil. Look at the number of leaders that have slipped through sin, dropped out of the ministry and left congregations that are shaken, disillusioned and injured. Some of the worlds finest have fallen the most experienced why? Do you think they may take there focus off God and try to do it alone?
Every day sin and temptation is put in our way it could be a saucy scene on the TV. The persons on the tube next to you might be reading Harry Potter or some other secular publication. You may have things in your home that are not pleasing to God.
Satan is cunning he can tempt us without us even realising it oops too late.
When was the last time you asked God to keep you from temptation and meant it God longs to hear you plead for safekeeping from evil.
Without temptation we would not sin we face too many temptations and therefore sin too often I get tempted every time I go past a sweet shop!! I don't mean to trivialise this but we are subjected to temptation 24/7.
We make a huge leap forward when we concentrate more on avoiding temptation rather than beating temptation. We make a huge leap forward when we concentrate more on avoiding temptation rather than beating temptation. . So here's the prayer again.
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain". And God granted his request.
Let me challenge you to make the prayer of Jabez a habit, a habit takes 28 days to form. Put this prayer on your bathroom mirror, by the kitchen sink on the dashboard of the car, on the front door.
Believe God's faithfulness for you; receive the blessings God has in store for you. Don't wait to visit the ware house. This really is the perfect prayer it has all the components of what God desires for us.
I want to thank God for Bruce Wilkinson for his book which has inspired me to bring this message to you. May God bless you richly. May God bless this church richly and may God Bless Ware richly. Amen. |
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