Pray, and I Will Answer

I am always interested in the prayers we find in the Bible. And I’m especially interested in those prayers that produced results. The prayer of Jabez in the Old Testament is one such example. In studying his words, we can learn some valuable insights into prayer.

Which God Do You Serve?

First of all, the Bible declares that when Jabez prayed, he “called on the God of Israel” (1 Chronicles 4:10). What God do you call upon when you pray?

I’ve met people who live very carelessly and recklessly. From outward observances they lead very sinful lives. When we start talking and they realize that I’m a minister, they usually interject, “I know that I’m not living like I should, but I pray every night. I never go to sleep without saying my prayers.”

When these people pray, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee Lord…” —whom are they addressing? Who is the true “Lord” of their lives?

“Lord” is not so much a name as it is a title. People serve many different gods, many different lords. Who is the lord of your life? It’s important to know the one you’re addressing in your prayers. Jesus said that not all who say, “Lord, Lord” are even going to enter the kingdom of heaven.

God told Jeremiah that when the people of Israel call to Him, He would no longer hear them. The next time they’re in trouble, they were not to ask God for help. Let them call on the gods that they’ve been serving (Jeremiah 11:12,14). Thus when Israel cried, “O god, help us,” they might have been calling on Baal, or Molech, or Ashtoreth.

It’s a tragic day when God finally says to a man, “I’ve had it! You’ve lived a careless life and you’ve worshipped and served everything but Me, but when you’re in trouble you call on Me. Next time you’re in trouble, just call on the gods you’ve been serving.”

Your god is really the supreme passion of your life. For instance, many people today worship and serve their intellects. “To know and to understand,” they say, “is the greatest good. I cannot accept the idea of a supreme being because I do not believe in anything I cannot bring into the confines of my mind.” Therefore, when they pray, “O god,” they’re actually praying to their own intellects.

In ancient times people named and worshipped a multitude of gods. But we’re too sophisticated today to give ancient names to our gods. A person today might serve his passions but, if asked who his god is, he wouldn’t say, “Venus, the goddess of love.” He’d just say, “I’m a lover. I believe a person should seek the best things of life. Love is the ultimate. Therefore, to make love is the chief goal of man.” When he cries, “O god,” he might as well be crying “O Venus!”

There are others who deify the pleasure principle. They live and work the entire week with one thing on their mind: the weekend. “Friday night we’ll get in the camper—with the three wheeler on the back, the boat on top, and the dune buggy behind—and we’ll head out for the river! Wow, what a weekend we’ll have!” All week long they’re thinking of the thrills, excitement, and pleasures they’ll have on the weekend. Every night they tinker around at home in preparation to go Friday night.

There was an ancient faith whose believers also worshipped pleasure. They called their god Molech. Many people today, when they cry “O god,” are actually crying to Molech because, in reality, he is their god.

There are others who deify the power principle. “Might is right.” They seek to possess and to have. They’re constantly scheming to get more money in order to get more possessions. Their minds are always analyzing how to cut this, increase that, invest here or there. They take second jobs. Their interests are centered around money, money, and more money. This is the worship of the old god Mammon. When these people are in trouble, they cry, “O god!” But their god Mammon can’t hear.

It’s important to realize that the prospect of your prayers being answered is totally dependent upon the one whom you petition. You might tell me, “Chuck, I need one hundred thousand dollars. You don’t know how desperately I need it. If I don’t get it, I don’t know what I’m going to do!”

You could plead with me for a whole week, two weeks, or two years, but you don’t have a chance of getting that amount from me. I just don’t have it. You’re petitioning someone who has no power or capacity to answer.

When the prophets of Baal were beseeching their god to send fire to their altar, they cried all morning. “O Baal, send fire!” But there was no fire. About noon Elijah said, “Fellows, I bet the problem is that your god has gone someplace. Or else he’s sleeping. Why don’t you cry a little louder? Maybe then he’ll hear you.” They started crying louder, and soon they were cutting themselves and leaping on their altar to get Baal’s attention! (1 Kings 18:26–29). They could have gone on forever, and still no fire would have come down to consume their sacrifice. Why? Because their god had no capacity to answer.

Deification of love, money, pleasure, or intellect is to deify impersonal, impotent forces. In the hour of real need these gods can produce nothing. But when I cry to Jehovah, the God of Israel, I know that he is able to do far more abundantly than all that I ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). There’s no end to God’s power. When I cry to Him, He is able to meet my needs. “One hundred thousand dollars?” He asks. “Is that all?” It’s nothing for God to meet my need, no matter what it might be.

When Jehovah God is the agent I call upon, nothing is too difficult for Him. But if Venus, Molech, Mammon, or Baal are the agents I call upon to do a work, then I’m really in a bind. In the hour of real need, when I cry in desperation, they just aren’t there to help.

Life is so empty for the people who live for pleasure. I’ve stood beside many people in their time of need. When their child is lying on a hospital bed and the doctor walks out of the operating room shaking his head, they look at me as if to say, “Do something, preacher!” Their god of pleasure is so empty at that time. He has so little comfort, help, or hope to offer.

But when you worship Jehovah and call upon Him as your Lord, it’s glorious to know that He is able to help. And not only able to help, but willing and wanting to help.

Paul said to the Athenians on Mars Hill, that the God he wanted to talk to them about, the One they called the unknown God, is the One who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. “In Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:22–28). That’s the One I cry to when I call upon God—the One who rules me and is Lord of my life.

Petitions of Jabez

Now let’s look at Jabez’s petitions. First of all, Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “O, that thou wouldest bless me” (1 Chronicles 4:10). Jabez wasn’t ashamed to say, “Bless me.” And I’m not ashamed to ask God to bless me. I want God to bless me. I want every blessing that God has for me. If I’m to be a blessing to others I must first receive the blessings of God.

Now notice the blessings that Jabez requested. First of all he said, “Enlarge my coast” (1 Chronicles 4:10). The Jews had come into the Promised Land, but much of the land was in the hands of the enemy. God had promised them the entire land, but they had not yet obtained the full promise of God. Thus Jabez prayed, “Lord, enlarge my coast,” or actually, “Help me to possess all that You’ve given me.”

I pray this in my own life. “Lord, help me to possess all that You have given and promised to me.” God has given to us rich and precious promises. We can be living in a glorious spiritual atmosphere, as we live in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. But instead we choose to drag along on the bottom of the pile, groveling in the dirt. You may enjoy it down here, but I enjoy it up there. Thus I pray, “Lord, bless me and help me to possess all that You have given to me. I thank You for what You’ve already done for me, Lord, but You’ve promised so much more…”

After all, why should you close the door on what God wants to do for you? Some people say, “I really don’t feel I need the gifts of the Spirit.” Personally, I need everything that God has to give me. Not only do I need everything that God has offered to give me, I desire everything that He has to give.

When I come to God, I don’t close any doors. I say, “Okay, Lord, here I am. Do things Your way. Don’t let me put any restrictions in Your path. Enlarge my coast, and allow me to possess all that You have promised.” Whenever I try to dictate to God what blessings I will accept, and which I reject, I’m actually exalting my own wisdom above His. I’m saying that I know my needs better than He knows. “You can do this and this for me, God, but I don’t want You to do that.”

Not me! I pray, “Enlarge my coast, Lord. Bless me. Do all that You want to do in my life.”

Then Jabez prayed, “That thine hand might be with me” (1 Chronicles 4:10). It is so important that I have the hand of God upon my life in all the things I do. It’s dangerous to undertake any project without God’s hand upon me.

Moses said to the Lord, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence” (Exodus 33:15). Lord, don’t lead me anywhere You’re not going to be with me. I can go forth with assurance, comfort, and power when I know that God’s hand is upon my life. I need no longer tremble.

Jabez’s next petition was, “Keep me from evil” (1 Chronicles 4:10). This is such an important prayer that Jesus included it as the last petition in the Lord’s Prayer. “Deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). The evil one is always trying to draw us into his snare.

I so easily fall into the snare of the enemy and allow hatred to begin to master my life, bitterness to control me, or some evil way to get its grip upon me. It’s difficult to live a righteous life. In fact, it’s not possible by our own human energy. It takes the power of the Spirit of God in me to live righteously.

Then Jabez continued, “Keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me” (1 Chronicles 4:10). The primary result of evil is very rarely grief. The primary result of evil is quite often thrills and excitement. Evil often has the appearance of being very prosperous. “It looks like such an easy way to make a quick buck. Of course, it isn’t quite honest. But look at the profits you can make. And look at what you can do with the money that you get from the profits!”

The primary result of evil may be joy, excitement, pleasure, or possessions—but the end result of evil is always grief. You may not think so right now. Sin may seem very exciting to you today. But a wise man will always consider the final destination of the path he is taking. Where is your path leading you? If it is a path of evil, my friend, it is leading you to grief. In Psalm 73, Asaph said that he was envious of the foolish when he saw the prosperity of the wicked. This almost stumbled him in his walk and commitment to the Lord until he considered the end results of their wickedness.

In the Proverbs, Solomon warned his son about the prostitute.

The lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter…her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. —Proverbs 5:3–5

At first glance sin may look exciting, but the end result is death and hell. Solomon declared, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Answers

What was the result of Jabez’s prayer? The Bible said, “God granted him that which he requested.” Praise the Lord! Jabez asked God to bless him and God did bless him. He asked the Lord to enlarge his coast and the Lord enlarged his coast. Jabez said, “Lord, keep your hand upon me,” and God kept His hand on him. He said, “Lord keep me from evil,” and the Lord kept him from evil.

It’s glorious to know that I can pray and if I pray according to the will of God, the Bible promises,

If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. —1 John 5:14–15

I can pray with confidence for God to bless me, enlarge my coast, keep His hand upon me, and keep me from evil—for this is the will of God for my life.

Ask Him and you, too, shall receive. Jesus said, “Ask [please ask], and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).