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. I Chronicles 4:10
This is a familiar scripture that gained popularity in early 2000. I was inspired to cite it to remind each of you about the requests that you placed before God. During the initial release of "The Prayer of Jabez" by Bruce Wilkinson, I know many of you prayed this prayer ... has it come to pass? If it hasn't, don't be discouraged or lose hope...a delay is not always a denial, sometimes it is simply a delay.
Note that the scripture states Jabez request was granted, but it doesn't indicate the time frame. We don't know from this scripture if it was granted the next day, year or 100 years. So, if you were one of the thousands that took this promise to heart and was bold enough to ask God to "enlarge your territory", but have not seen the manifestation, continue to hope. God is still on the throne and has not forgotten your request.
The Word says that for God a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day 2 Peter 3:8. God does not operate nor is He bound by our time lines. He can and will do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or think, but we have to be bold enough to ask.
The phenomenal reception of "The Prayer of Jabez", I believe, was based on the boldness or audacity of Jabez to ask God to enlarge his territory. Sometimes our boldness to merely ask God demonstrates our faith or confidence in God.
This week I encourage you to 'dust' off your prayer list and boldly present it to God. Don't worry about how worthy you are, set aside your fears, and forget about how impossible you perceive it to be. Your Heavenly Father is not short of His promises.
Dare to ask God and be strengthened in your faith. As always, be encouraged!
All scripture quoted from the New International Version of the Bible. International Bible Society Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 |
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