When You Cry to God: The Prayer of Jabez

Sometimes we pray for a long time and feel like nothing is changing. Slowly, prayer becomes routine, and our hearts grow tired. But the Bible shows us that one sincere and earnest prayer can change everything.

The power of prayer is not in how many times we pray; it is in how we pray and the sincerity of our heart before God. For prayer to truly make a difference, it needs to be earnest and wholehearted.

About JABEZ

When we read 1 Chronicles 1–4 in the Bible, we mostly see long lists of family names and genealogies. Right in the middle of this list, we suddenly come across a man named Jabez. His name appears briefly in only 2 verse’s among many others, almost unexpectedly.

Jabez is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. His life seems to have started with difficulty. His mother experienced great pain when he was born and gave him a name connected with sorrow. It looked like he did not have many advantages in life. But what made Jabez different was his faith in God. Instead of letting his situation or his name define him, he prayed earnestly to God—and God answered his prayer.

JABEZ IN Bible

[1 Chronicles 4:9 NIV] 9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.”

Rooted in Pain

The name JABEZ means, “I gave birth to him in pain.” His life seemed to begin with something like a curse because his mother named him - due to the pain she experienced. The Bible does not explain exactly what kind of pain she went through.

In many ways, our lives also have JABEZ-like moments. Many of us go through painful situations just as JABEZ did. The kind of pain and how strong it feels may be different for each person and situation, but pain can still feel heavy and hard to carry. It may come from relationship struggles, family problems, business or work challenges, or even from hurt caused by others’ actions or words. During such difficult times, we naturally look for solutions—often turning to the world around us or to other people to help us deal with the pain. But JABEZ was different, he turned to God with a earnest prayer.

JABEZ Earnest Prayer

[1 Chronicles 4:10 NIV] 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.

We read JABEZ was named in Pain, in this painful situation, what did he do ?

1. He Cried Out to God

The Word of God Says about Jabez - [1 Chronicles 4:10 NIV] 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “

Often, when we go through pain, tears fill our eyes and we cry. Many times, our crying is simply a way to release or express our emotions. But an important question is: Where do we take our tears? The right place is to bring them before God.

In the Bible, two words are often used: cry and weep.

• Cry – a general expression of tears and strong emotion.

• Weep – a deeper, quieter expression of sorrow and compassion.

Here, we see that JABEZ cried out to God, turning his pain toward the Lord.

The Bible also records moments when other great men / women of God cried before the Lord:

• Hanna wept bitterly in her anguish that she was childless [1 Samuel 1:10 NIV] 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly.

• Joseph cried and wept loudly (see both emotions recorded) when he revealed himself to his brothers. His emotions were so intense that even the Egyptians and Pharaoh’s household heard about it (Genesis 45:1–2). [Genesis 45:1-2 NIV] 1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it.

In the New Testament, we also read about Jesus Christ weeping: Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35). [John 11:35 NIV] 35 Jesus wept

What Happens When We Cry to God?

a. We release our emotions before God

Like how God’s Character is Love, he has another character of Compassion.

Crying or weeping helps us pour out our hearts to God. When we cry to Him, we are inviting God into our pain. Jesus Himself showed deep love and compassion. At Lazarus’ tomb, He wept when He saw the sorrow of Martha and Mary. This reminds us that God understands the pain we go through. As Psalm 116:5 says, [Psalm 116:5 NIV] 5 The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.

b. God remembers our tears

The Bible teaches that God does not ignore our tears that come from sorrow. He sees and remembers every tear. Psalm 56:8 says that God records our suffering and keeps track of our tears, showing that our pain matters to Him and that He hears our prayers. [Psalm 56:8 NIV] 8 Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll--are they not in your record?

Lesson for Us to Learn

• When you are going through pain, where do you take it ? Do you turn to world or pleasures of world or to some people who can help you to break this pain ?

• Cry out to Jesus. He understands your emotions and knows what you go through. As the Bible says in Hebrews 4:15, He empathizes with our weaknesses. [Hebrews 4:15 NIV] 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses..

2. The Five-Part Prayer of Jabez

[1 Chronicles 4:10 NIV] 10 .. “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.

Jabez prayer has five simple but powerful parts that reflect what God desires for His children.

a.  Bless me – “Oh, that you would bless me”  

First part of JABEZ prayer was BLESS ME - “Oh, that you would bless me”  , God desires to bless us. Read thru Genesis his creation story, we see God’s design for humanity was to bless them. He created people in His image and blessed them, giving them life and the ability to have a relationship with Him. The Breath of life signifies first Spiritual blessing. The Spiritual blessings is to —fellowship with Him, experiencing His love, and growing in the good work He wants to do in our lives. Like how a fish longs for water to survive, like wise man’s breath was designed to be in fellowship with God, Adam and Eve were like that prior to their disobedience.

• [Genesis 1:27-28 NIV] 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them ..

• [Genesis 2:7 NIV] 7 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

When God blesses no one can take that blessing away from us, However, we may lose the fullness of His blessing when we walk in disobedience. Disobedience to God is Sin Bible shows example like Saul’s example where he lost God’s blessing because he choose not to obey God.

b.   Enlarge me so that I grow further - and enlarge my territory!

The Second part of Jabez prayer is about growth and expansion “and enlarge my territory!”,  

From the beginning (His design in Genesis), God blessed people and told them to be fruitful and multiply [Genesis 1:28 NIV] 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. .." God desires that the blessings He gives us will grow and impact the world around us. We read the blessing of Genesis 1:28 is given to Noah and his sons.

We see this in the life of Isaac, who prospered because the Lord blessed him. [Genesis 26:12-13 NIV] 12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.

God is not against wealth or success in this world. However, God does not want wealth or money to take His place in our hearts. When the desire for money becomes too strong, it can turn into greed and push God to a lower priority. God wants to be first in our lives, and He will provide the blessings we truly need.

c.   Let your hand be with me - Let your hand be with me,

The Third part of Jabez prayer is God’s hand to be with him in what he does “Let your hand be with me”, Jabez understood that true success does not come from his own strength, but from God.

When God’s hand is with us, He guides us and helps us succeed in what we do. Others can also see that God is at work in our lives. We see a similar example in the life of Joseph. Even as a slave in Egypt, he prospered because the Lord was with him, and his master recognized that God was giving him success [Genesis 39:2-3 NIV] 2 The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did,

When God’s hand is with us, we begin to seek / consult His guidance and do what pleases Him, not just what we want for ourselves. Our focus shifts from our own desires to doing His will.

d.   Be my Protector - keep me from harm

The fourth part of the prayer of Jabez is asking God to protect him “keep me from harm”.  

When God blesses us, the enemy (Satan) wants to steal this blessings. [John 10:10 NIV] 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

We see enemy’s work to steal the blessing throughout the Bible, starting from the time of Adam and Eve, it continues to ever man of God. First he wants to steal spiritual blessing (Peace, joy, love, faith and fellowship with God) and material blessing (all the work of us in world), this stealing is to act against the will of God.

That is why we need God’s protection. On our own, we cannot stand against such attacks. For example, God protected Sarah when she was taken into Pharaoh’s house, and the Lord brought trouble on Pharaoh to keep her safe [Genesis 12:17 NIV] 17 But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai.

Our God is also called Mizpah, meaning the One who watches over us. He guards and protects us from those who try to steal the spiritual and material blessings God has given us [Genesis 31:49 NIV] 49 It was also called Mizpah, because he said, "May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.

e.   I will be free from my curse - so that I will be free from pain

The fifth part of the prayer of Jabez is a request to be free from the pain connected to his name. The name Jabez means, “I gave birth to him in pain.” In his prayer, he asked God to remove that burden so that he would no longer live under it “so that I will be free from pain”

Like Jabez, we are also born with curse of Sin. But through Jesus Christ, that curse can be broken. Galatians 3:13 says that Christ became a curse for us so that we could be redeemed.

[Galatians 3:13 NIV] 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole."

Breaking this curse begins with a sincere confession of sin from the heart, just like the story Jesus told about the Prodigal Son. When the son confessed and returned to his father, he was welcomed and restored.

[Luke 15:21-24 NIV] 21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

The father’s response in the story shows what God does when we truly repent:

• FEAST WITH FAT CALF - Jesus gave himself to be the Lamp in the cross, FAT Calf a sign of joy and celebration when we return to God

• BEST ROBE - God will cloth with his Robe to restore our self-righteous with HIS righteousness.

• RING ON HIS FINGER (SINGET RING) - God marks this to bring to his kingdom. HE Restores us with the authority and belonging to God’s kingdom as Son’s and daughters.

• SANDALS ON FEET - God be our guard as a protector like he did this for Israelites while they were in dessert.

  • [Deuteronomy 29:5 NIV] 5 Yet the LORD says, "During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.

  • [Nehemiah 9:21 NIV] 21 For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.

After these five parts of prayer, We read [1 Chronicles 4:10 NIV] “And God granted his request”

When God answers the prayers, what happens to Jabez, was he was more honourable than any of his brothers.  [1 Chronicles 4:9 NIV] 9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers

Same way God will restore the honour that belongs to us, which the enemy may have stolen from us.

Summary

We serve the same God who answered the prayer of Jabez—a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He desires to bless us, both spiritually and materially, and to watch over us as our protector, he is our Mizpah. In His love, Jesus Christ became a curse for us so that we could be saved and restored. What God looks for from us is an earnest prayer—a sincere heart that brings our pain and emotions before Him. When we pray like Jabez, God hears us. As the Bible reminds us in Psalm 103:14–15, God knows how we are formed and remembers that we are dust, yet He lovingly waits for us to call on Him.

[Psalm 103:14-15 NIV] 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;