He told me to tell you that
Our culture is fascinated with superheroes. “Avengers: Endgame” is the highest grossing film of this year. It is the highest grossing superhero film of all time and the second highest grossing film of all time only behind “Avatar.”
The problem with Iron Man and Captain America is they are not real. I don’t know about you but I need real heroes, spiritual studs that I can relate to. Real people that actually lived out their faith that I can try to emulate and apply how they lived to my life’s current circumstance.
One of those real people that had to overcome adversity was a guy named Jabez. His first obstacle to overcome was his name. Jabez means pain or I bore him in pain. His mother was a real Joan Crawford type. All of our kids can be a pain but who actually names their child Pain? I bet Jabez caught it on the playground, in the locker room and in the dorm. It probably didn’t stop in adulthood. Can you imagine his first real job interview after college? He walks into the office and sticks out his hand and introduces himself, “Hello, my name is Pain.”
Scripture (First Chronicles 4:9) says he was more honorable than his brothers. We see evidence of how he stood out from others in verse 10. It says, “Jabez called upon the God of Israel…” Prayer (calling out) is a lot of things including an expression of faith and dependence. Jabez knew that overcoming adversity required strength, and he relied on his relationship with God for that strength. As Christians we are to do the same. The Apostle Paul said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).”
When the wheels fall off marriages, when kids are messed up, when jobs fail us, when addictions happen, when businesses give up the ghost, when dreams die and when finances are not the best, we can remain faithful because of Jesus Christ who gives us strength.
Mr. Pain expressed a need we all have through his prayer, when he asked the Lord in verse 10 to bless him. He said, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!”
Jabez needed what only God could do.
Truth is we all need God’s grace and blessing in our lives. We are told in scripture that we are not “sufficient (within) ourselves” (2nd Corinthians 3:5-6), apart from God “we can do nothing” (John 15:5) and “The Lord’s blessing is our greatest worth” (Proverbs 10:22). The question is not do we need the Lord’s blessing. What we need to be asking is, are we seeking His blessing like Jabez?
Finally, who doesn’t like a happy ending. The end of verse 10 tells us, “And God granted what He asked.”
Go, be like Jabez, be a stand out, live honorably, be an overcomer, adversity can’t stop you (you are awesome and God likes you) and be someone who is faithful and relies on the Lord. He told me to tell you that.
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