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Christian Living

What’s Your Favorite Bible Verse?

What is your favorite verse in the Bible? Is it John 3:16? That seems to be one commonly cited. Or perhaps, it’s commonly cited, only because it is the only one people know.

As a teen, just to be contrary and catch people off guard, I would claim that my favorite verse was John 3:17. It’s a good one, too, and worthy of consideration.

Or how about: “God helps them who help themselves.” That may be a popular and comforting thought, but I can’t find it in my Bible, so that doesn’t count.

My favorite verse, at least for this season of my life, is quite a bit more obscure. It’s the last part of 1 Chronicles 4:10. To save you the effort of looking it up, it simply says, “And God granted his request.”

The back-story, found in that verse and the preceding one, is that a guy named Jabez prays. After he prays, the Bible simply records that God answered his prayer. It’s my favorite prayer in the Bible.

I find that wonderfully comforting and joyfully encouraging to know that God answers prayers. That is why this is my favorite verse.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Reviews of Books & Movies

Book Review: The Prayer of Jabez

Breaking Through to the Blessed Life

By Bruce Wilkinson (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)

The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, is a short work and a compelling read. It is based on a brief, two-verse Biblical account of an obscure ancient man, named Jabez.

All that is known of Jabez is recorded in these two verses, which provides a short bio, a brief prayer, and a concise pronouncement of the outcome.

The book greatly expands on the aforementioned two verses, informing readers of the man, his life, and his character, before delving into his concise prayer to God. 

Only five lines long, Jabez’s succinct entreaty carries with it great meaning and significant applications for us living several thousands of years later.

Throughout the book, Dr. Wilkerson shares his own thirty-year journey with the prayer of Jabez, educating and inspiring us in the process. 

Although he lived a long time ago, Jabez and his prayer is still relevant today, being insightful and instructive to all who will consider it’s deeper meaning and applications.

[The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, by Bruce Wilkinson. Published by Multnomah Books, 2005; ISBN: 978-1590524756; 96 pages.]

Read more book reviews by Peter DeHaan.Save

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

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Bible Insights

Jabez Was More Righteous Than His Brothers

One final reflection on the prayer of Jabez.

In the scant bio for Jabez, it describes him as a good man, saying he “was more righteous than his brothers.”

Righteous is a word that we don’t use too often nowadays, but means to be morally upright. Jabez then was a good, morally upright person.

Now, consider that characteristic with the final phrase in this passage, “So God granted him what he requested.”

That begs the question of causality. Did God give Jabez what he asked for because Jabez was good or was Jabez good because God gave him what he asked for?

The answer, I suspect is “yes”—to both questions—which certainly gives us something to contemplate in respect to our prayers and relationship to God.

[Read more on The Prayer of Jabez; 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NKJV]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

God Answers Jabez’s Prayer

After Jabez’s short and concise prayer comes encouraging words of confirmation and affirmation.The Bible simply notes that “God granted him what he requested.” How exciting!

Although I don’t know the mind of God, I suspect that had Jabez made his requests for selfish reasons, the results may have been different.

Indeed this is something to consider in our own prayers. If we see things through God’s perspective and pray accordingly, the outcome will likely be different than when we selfishly give God our list of “gimmes.”

[Read more on The Prayer of Jabez; 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NKJV]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

Jabez Asks God: Not Cause Pain/Do Good

The fifth and final line in Jabez’s prayer is

“that I may not cause pain.”

At first glance this is an unclear and somewhat wordy request. However, it can be reworded for clarity. To not cause pain, is simply to do good.

Here Jabez is reminding himself—as much as he is telling God—that the purpose of his prayer is not self-serving or self-centered, but to do good for others.

Indeed, his first two requests address this desire directly, while the next two are to provide for help and protection in doing so.

His motives are pure and his intentions are good. His prayer’s conclusion confirms that.

[Read more on The Prayer of Jabez; 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NKJV]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

Jabez Asks God: Keep Me From Evil

The fourth line in Jabez’s prayer is: “that you would keep me from evil”

If this request sounds vaguely familiar, there is good reason. In the best known prayer in the Bible, often called “The Lord’s Prayer,” there is the line “deliver us from the evil one.”

Just as Jesus taught his followers to pray, Jabez is doing the same, asking for protection from the attacks of the devil.

Remember that Jabez has just asked for more blessings to bless others and for more opportunities to help others. The devil, opposing both those initiatives, will go after anyone attempting to do so.

This is why Jabez next asked for God’s help, following it with this request for protection.

[Read more on The Prayer of Jabez; 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NKJV, Matthew 6:13 NIV]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

Jabez Asks God: Enlarge My Territory

After Jabez asks for blessings so that he could be a blessing to others, he then adds:

“and enlarge my territory”

In Bible times, territory meant power via increased authority, responsibility, and influence.

As, such, a request for “more territory” is not a petition for more “stuff,” as much as a metaphor implying greater authority, responsibility, and influence.

Again, this is for the purpose of benevolence, to help and aid others, not to be used selfishly or for personal gain.

Jabez wanted to have greater authority to assist those in need of an advocate, to be responsible to aid those who were less fortunate, and to positively influence his culture.

That is the good and proper use of power—and Jabez asked God to give it to him.

[Read more on The Prayer of Jabez; 1 Chronicles 4:9-10]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

Jabez Asks God: Bless Me, Indeed!

The first line of the prayer of Jabez, is:

“Oh, that you would bless me, indeed…”

First of all, the word “indeed” is a way of adding emphasis, much like we would do with an exclamation point. It wasn’t enough for Jabez to merely make his request, he made it passionately and emphatically.

The request of Jabez is that God would bless him, really bless him. This is an entreaty for supernatural favor. The desire to be blessed, however, is not so that Jabez could have a better life or live in comfort and with ease.

He sought blessings so that he in turn could be a blessing to others. This is what God earlier promised to Abram (later called Abraham), when he said, “I will bless you…and you will be a blessing.”

Asking for blessings for ourselves would be selfish and self-serving and not likely to receive a favorable response from God.

However, once we realize that all we have is God’s, which can therefore be used to help others, a request for blessing is in reality a plea to be able to help others even more.

Indeed!

[Read more on The Prayer of Jabez; 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NKJV, Genesis 12:2 NIV]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.

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Bible Insights

The Prayer of Jabez

The prayer of Jabez is a short prayer and is found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10; it is also the subject of a recent popular book by the same name.

After a short, very short, bio of Jabez, his equally short prayer is given, followed by a concise commentary.

Jabez’s five line prayer is:

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!

The prayer concludes with the affirmation that God answered this prayer.

There is much that can be learned from his petition, as well as wrong assumptions that can be made. Check out this short prayer and meditate on it.  In upcoming posts, we will look at it more closely.

(Jabez is alternately pronounced with either a long “a” sound or a short “a”.)

[Read more on The Prayer of Jabez; 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, the New King James Version is quoted]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

10 Essential Bible Reading Tips, from Peter DeHaan

Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”

​Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.