Indeed

Ephesians 1:³ “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (NKJV, emphasis added).

If what Jabez prayed was not recorded, we would not know. But thank God, the prayer Jabez prayed was recorded for us so we can also pray it. And since God is not a respecter of persons, and we have a better covenant in Christ, you could say that God will work it out in your life. Do I get an Amen? 1 Chronicles 4:¹⁰ “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” (KJV). God will grant you your request in the Name of Jesus. So, we are going to take this apart. Just fasten your seatbelt and trust God to deliver His Word into your heart and into your life in Jesus Name. Let’s unpack the prayer of Jabez, are you ready?

The first bit says, “…Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed…”. This was the cry of his heart, you could feel Jabez’ burning desire. You do not come to God without a burning desire. If you do, it is a waste of time. The currency of heaven is hunger. Isaiah 55:¹ “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free!” The currency of exchange of heaven is thirst and hunger. When you pray this prayer of Jabez, do not pray it casually. No, you need to get a burden for your life, get a burning desire for the desires of your heart. And say with passion, “…Oh, that You would bless me indeed…” (1 Chronicles 4:10, NKJV, emphasis added). It is okay to pray for yourself.

It is okay to ask God to bless you. It is okay to ask God for blessings. I must confess that I used to feel bad praying for myself. As an intercessor, I used to pray for people, pray for this person, pray for that person. When I prayed for myself, I used to feel very selfish. Until I was taught this prayer, that you will bless me indeed. I am here for myself, Lord, bless me indeed. Bless me indeed means bless me in reality. And because of our position in Christ, as we see from our anchor scripture, we are blessed already. Whether you have five billion dollars in your account, and I pray you do. Or you have five thousand Naira in your account, you are blessed.

Listen, the Christian who has five billion Dollars and yourself (whatever you have, if it is not up to five billion Dollars yet), is not more blessed than you. You are both blessed with the same blessings. The difference is that one person has been able to harness his own, and the other has not fully harnessed his own. Jabez was of the stock of Judah, of the tribe of the children of Israel. He was a part of The Covenant. He was blessed.  Yet he was saying to God, I want to see these blessings with my eyes. “…Oh, that You would bless me indeed…”

Prayer: Father, Oh, that You would bless me indeed, bless me in reality, in Jesus Name. Amen!