1 Chronicles 4:10
9Jabez was more honourable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.” 10Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested.

I think verse 9 can be read as a subjective statement and interpreted as the view point of the age as perceived by Ezra the writer of the Books of Chronicles. However, the way I see this statement is that even at a very early stage of one’s life one can see some traits that distinguishes one child from another even in the same family. What Ezra was saying was that Jabez had some qualities which made him remarkable even though the circumstances of his birth were not very pleasant for his mother.

A lesson that we might learn from this very much quoted verse is that God is happy when we ask for greater responsibilities and willing to serve Him. There is no promise to say that life would be a bed of roses when we follow our God but it certainly ensures that we live as His children on this Earth even when our physical circumstances suggest otherwise.

In fact Jabez carried a name which was always a reminder that he had given pain to his mother at birth. We do not know much about this character and other life events but what we know is that he was a man of prayer and a man of great faith despite his humble circumstance. We can also assume that he felt free to approach His Father in the throne room without any hesitation and saw himself positioned to pray and take authority over a large area while seeking peace and safety in the bosom of His Father.

God granted Jabez his request because He found him capable of taking on the responsibility over what he asked and extended his sphere of influence.

© Christine Chhanda Mukherjee #myworldwithoutwalls.com