I Chronicles 4:1 – 9:1

September 24, 2010

God knows our name. We are important to Him. In the middle of the genealogy in the first nine chapters of I Chronicles there is a sentence that says, "There was a man named Jabez..."

The Prayer of Jabez. Someone gave us the The Prayer of Jabez book years ago and I never took the time to read it. Then in early 2008, while watching my grandson, I read the book Beyond Jabez while at my son and daughter-in-law's house. Someone had just given them the book. Reading it solidified in my mind that God wanted to use "the storm" in our lives to expand our territories. Our territory is anywhere we are.

I Chronicles 4:10 - LORD – Bless us and bless us indeed. Expand our territory. May we see your hand working in our lives. Protect us from evil so we will harm no one. And, God granted him his request. 

When the first Prayer of Jabez book came out a lot of people thought it meant you could pray for God to bless you with things. It doesn't mean that at all. Expand our territory means to enlarge our sphere of influence. Oh wow, has God done that for us. We used to wonder who we could witness to. And now, God has given us opportunity after opportunity. God has blessed us with those opportunities. God has blessed us in so many ways. But by far, the blessing we have been most grateful for is being able to see the Hand of God working in our lives. 

The Hand of God! We have witnessed first hand what can only be described as the Hand of God in our lives. Man could not have done it. I've listed many of them throughout this journal. The Hand of God. I am in absolute awe of who God is. For too many years "Christians" have tried to use God to meet their needs and more aptly "wants." They go to Him with a laundry list of what they want Him to do for them. This is why we say the single most important thing Jane (Her Name Was Jane) taught us was Psalm 150 – Praise. When you praise God for who He is there becomes a realization of what the relationship between

God

↓

Man

should look like. Listen next time some one asks for prayer requests and praises. The praises are almost always about something God has done for them.

Sammy Tippit in his book, The Prayer Factor, says it this way. "Praise is a response to the greatness of God, and thanksgiving is a response to the goodness of God. Praise acknowledges the attributes of God, whereas thanksgiving acknowledges the deeds of God."

Seeing the Hand of God at work in our lives has absolutely convinced me that there is no other way to live but in a way pleasing to God.  

Bless us indeed, Father. Expand our territory for YOUR name's sake. May we continue to see YOUR Hand. Protect us.  Hebrews 11:33 - "Through their faith they defeated kingdoms. They did what was right, received God's promises, and shut the mouth of lions."


Next Entry: I Chronicles 9:2–44