THE PRAYER OF JABEZ
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 4:10
The Prayer of Jabez is a helpful model of a prayer we can pray every day.
1. BLESSING

Jabez begins his prayer by asking God for His blessing. We need more of God’s blessing to be better equipped to make a difference for His Kingdom. We need more provision, more spiritual gifting, more wisdom, and greater understanding so that we can bless others with what God has given us. James 4:2-3 tells us, “You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” God wants to bless us, but He is often waiting for us to ask with the right heart. We have a big God, and we can be bold in asking for His blessing. As James points out, God sees our heart, and we get His attention when we ask for blessing with the motivation to help others.

“Oh, that You would bless me...”1 CHRONICLES 4:10

Ask God for His blessing. Recognize your need for His provision, and set your heart toward wanting more than you need so that you can be a blessing to others.

PRAYER:
“God, I pray that You would bless me with more than I need so that I can bless others. I pray for more provision, that You would equip me to give generously to others and meet their practical needs in Your Name. I ask You to give me greater spiritual gifting so that I can strengthen the Church and be more effective for the Kingdom of God. I pray for an abundance of wisdom and discernment so that I can point others to You and make decisions that honor You. I ask You to help me grow in understanding of Your truth and Your heart for people so I can do my part to bring Your Kingdom to earth. Help me keep Your generous blessings in perspective, so that I never become self-serving but stay focused on using what You’ve given me to serve other people.”

2. INFLUENCE

Next, Jabez asks for more influence. As God’s blessings increase in our lives, we ask for and experience greater opportunity to influence the world around us for Him. God has the power to bless us greatly, and He also has the power to open doors of opportunity for us to make a difference. We want to walk through doors that only He can open, and He responds when we specifically ask Him to give us more influence for His Name.
“Enlarge my territory...” 1 CHRONICLES 4:10
Pray for more influence. Knowing that God can make a way, trust in Him to open doors and lead you on the best path for your life and for His glory. Ask Him for boldness to take the steps He lays out for you.

PRAYER:
“God, make me effective in my sphere of influence, and open new doors for me to be able to impact and reach even more people for Your glory. Give me a heart to make a difference in the lives of people I have never reached out to before and boldness to walk in obedience to Your calling. Help me to be a good steward of the responsibility You’ve entrusted to me. I pray for greater territory to impact for Your glory.”

3. PRESENCE

In order to have lasting influence, we need God’s presence in our lives. Through His power at work within us, God can do more than we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). As we ask for blessing and influence, we also need to ask for His presence as Jabez did so that we are not operating out of our own strength but through the presence and the hand of our Almighty God.

“Let Your hand be with me...”1 CHRONICLES 4:10

In humility, acknowledge your need for God’s presence. Depend on Him and ask for more of Him in your life today.

PRAYER:
“Lord, I know that without You, I am nothing. I cannot do what You’ve called me to do on my own. I am desperate for Your presence in my life. I depend on You completely. I recognize that the same Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead lives in me. Through the power of Your Spirit, I pray that You will help me succeed in the opportunities You’ve given me. Thank You for being with me. I would never want to face today without You.”

4. PROTECTION

Finally, Jabez asks the Lord to protect him. If we are influencing the world for Jesus, we must understand the enemy will try to stop us. This leads us to pray that God will not only help us if the enemy attacks, but that He will protect us from the enemy attacking us in the first place. Jesus has already won the victory, so we don’t need to fear destruction. God promises to be with us and protect us, and because He is with us, we have nothing to fear.

“Keep me from harm” 1 CHRONICLES 4:10
Trust God to protect you. Tell Him specific areas where you feel the need for His protection and ask Him to cover areas that you can’t yet see.

PRAYER:
“God, as I walk out the purpose You have for my life, I pray that You will stop any and every attack of the enemy against me. Please protect my body, my mind, and my emotions. Don’t let the enemy get a foothold in my life. I pray, too, that You will protect my family and community from harm. I know that the One who is in me is greater than the one who is in the world, so I have nothing to fear. Thank You for watching over me. I love You and I trust You.”