that your hand would be with me,

"Oh, that you would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that your hand would be with me,
and that you would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain."
~1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV

Certainly, this means you're asking for God's protection, but it also means you're asking for His guidance. And, frankly, I believe it also means you want His company, His companionship.

Think about our relationship to God, what would it compare to? Parent and child, right?

There were times when I was a little boy when I wanted my Dad to hold my hand. Like when I had to get a shot or when I went through a haunted house at the fair. Now that I'm a dad of two little girls, there are definitely times when I want them to let me hold their hand. Like in a crowded store or in a busy parking lot.

When I was little, I wanted that hand for the feeling of comfort and security. As a parent, I want to offer that hand for protection, safety, but also for guidance, for direction.

Who wouldn't want to hold hands with God. What a bodyguard, right? With God's hand upon you, nobody is gonna mess with you. On the other hand, you're not going to be able to get too far away from your Father either, are you?

The hand of the LORD was upon me there, and he said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you."~Ezekiel 3:22

See what I mean about guidance?

One of the neatest feelings in the world when I was little was when my Dad would put his hand on my head and muss up my hair. He'd usually say something like "how ya doin, tiger?"
That hand meant approval and affection.

I don't read Hebrew, I don't know much Hebrew but one of my favorite Hebrew words is "PAGA." The Hebrew word for intercession, "paga," means "to meet" or "to touch."

I don't know whether or not paga is used in the Prayer of Jabez, but I understand that it appears 44 times in Old Testament. It means "to encounter, meet with, reach or stretch unto, to entreat, to strike, to touch, to attack"

Paga breaks down into two words:

QAL "to meet, to light upon, to join (used of kindness), to encounter, to fall upon (used of hostility), to entreat (used of a request), to strike, to touch (used of boundary)."

and HIPHIL "entreating, to interpose, to make attack, to reach the mark (as used in Phil. 3:13-14- striving on for the goal witch I haven't quite reached yet)."

A great way to think about that second part is to remember that Christianity is all about a relationship. "Hiphil," to me, is like when my 2-year old reaching up to me to try to get me to pick her up.

Prayer:

Dear Father-God,

May Your holy hand be upon me,

to protect me and guard me
to comfort and assure me
to guide me and lead me
to correct me and urge me
to let me know that You love me,
accept me,
enjoy me

I'm reaching out for You too,
I want to serve You, please You, be held and carried by You.

Thank you for your hand
for your protection
guidance
and for Your presence

Amen