Prophet, Priest and PIRATE

This is an image of the Jabez Prayer written in Persian, the language of Iran- perhaps this was a language that Jabez would have known well.

Prayer of Jabez:
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." 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.
~1 Chronicles 4:10 - NIV

“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.”
~NKJV

"Bless me, O bless me!
Give me land, large tracts of land.
And provide your personal protection--
don't let evil hurt me."
~The Message

I want to share with you a little bit about each part of this famous prayer each day for the next few days. first lets take "Oh, that you would bless me indeed,"

Here's what Webster's Dictionary says it means to "bless:"

1 : to hallow or consecrate by religious rite or word
2 : to hallow with the sign of the cross
3 : to invoke divine care for
4 a : PRAISE, GLORIFY b : to speak well of : APPROVE
5 : to confer prosperity or happiness upon
6 archaic : PROTECT, PRESERVE
7 : ENDOW, FAVOR

Someone once told me that in Hebrew, "to bless" simply means "to make happy." Surely All seven Webster's definitions are things that each of us need. So when you pray the Jabez prayer, ask God to do these 7 things for you:

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

1 : hallow me, make me holy, consecrate me- Set me aside for Your use, for Your holy purposes. 2 : Put your mark upon me, write Your name upon my heart.
3 : Keep me and care for me as Your child
4 a : May I bring you honor and draw attention to Your love and Your power- b : Lord, find favor in me and may I be worthy of your approval
5 : Dear God, PLEASE provide for me, if it be Your will, even grant me material prosperity, certainly, please help me to find happiness in this life
6 Lord, preserve and protect me
7 : Lord, make me useful to You, grant me skills and talents so that I can be Your instrument.

In Jesus' Name,
Indeed! Let it be so! Amen

Some Christians have been very critical of this prayer because they're afraid that it's a selfish prayer. First of all, why would He put in inthe Bible if it's somehow wrong or sinful to pray it? Secondly, look back at what you just prayed, think about what it means to bless or be blessed. Surely God wants to bless you, His child. How can it possibly be wrong to ask Him to bless you?

Bless us, Lord, bless us indeed!