Turning Pain into Prayer
I’m reminded of a blog I wrote concerning Jabaz: “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, ‘I gave birth to him in pain.’ 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” (1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NIV).
Jabez was not a ‘big name’ in the Bible, but there’s a great lesson in this story. Jabez stood out because he was a prayer person. As I stated in the previous blog his name meant pain whether it was in childbirth that his mother named him, or it was because of terrible family dynamics. Whatever the situation, Jabez didn’t use his name as an excuse with God or use his background as a reason to complain about his circumstance; instead, he prayed for increased responsibility and an enlarged place in the promise land. He didn’t sit and give up; instead, he took charge of his life to go forward.
It’s easy to complain to God how life is so terrible and nobody understands. But the stress and anxiety will suck the oxygen out of you and make you feel hopeless. Jabez could have bathed in victimization and given up, but he chose something about his situation; he turned his pain into prayer. When you find yourself in a terrible situation beyond your circumstances, don’t give up. Look through and see JESUS, turn your pain into prayer, and see what God can do.
Jabez was not a ‘big name’ in the Bible, but there’s a great lesson in this story. Jabez stood out because he was a prayer person. As I stated in the previous blog his name meant pain whether it was in childbirth that his mother named him, or it was because of terrible family dynamics. Whatever the situation, Jabez didn’t use his name as an excuse with God or use his background as a reason to complain about his circumstance; instead, he prayed for increased responsibility and an enlarged place in the promise land. He didn’t sit and give up; instead, he took charge of his life to go forward.
It’s easy to complain to God how life is so terrible and nobody understands. But the stress and anxiety will suck the oxygen out of you and make you feel hopeless. Jabez could have bathed in victimization and given up, but he chose something about his situation; he turned his pain into prayer. When you find yourself in a terrible situation beyond your circumstances, don’t give up. Look through and see JESUS, turn your pain into prayer, and see what God can do.