The Prayer of Jabez

A few years ago there was a lot of talk about the 'Prayer of Jabez'. This prayer is a little verse, actually two verses in the middle of a chapter of boring genealogy. This is how it reads from the Amplified version of I Chronicles 4:10: "Jabez cried to the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and You would keep me from evil so it might not hurt me! And God granted his request."

Wow! What a strange little verse, but a simple prayer, and it says "God granted his request." As I was reading Psalm 119, I thought it interesting that one could take this little verse from I Chronicles and compare it to many verses in Psalm 119.

Jabez' first request: "O would You bless me".
In Psalm 119:17 the Psalmist asks God to "deal bountifully with Your Servant."

The second request was: "enlarge my borders". ( Now some think this is to expand the territory he works in, or owns, or any number of things. I think it could mean he wanted to expand his mind, have more wisdom and understanding.)
In Psalm 119:33 the Lord is asked to "teach me thy way", and in verse 34 it says "give me understanding."

The third request is that "Your hand might be with me".
In Psalm 119:35 the Psalmist asks that the Lord "make me go in the path of Your commandments"; asking for God's guidance.

The last request is that "You would keep me from evil so it might not hurt me."
In Psalm 119:37 the Psalmist asks the Lord to turn away his eyes from beholding that which is not good and turn away reproach. In verse 101 it state: "I have restrained my feet from every evil way."

So I am going to take the liberty of using these verses and thoughts from Psalm 119 and write my prayer:

"O Lord, deal bountifully with Your servant, helping me to increase my wisdom and understanding, guiding me in the way I should go to follow Your commandments. Keep my eyes from looking on evil and keep me from going in to evil places. And I thank You for hearing my Prayer. Amen"

1. I Chronicles 4:10
2. Psalm 119:17,33,34,35,37,101
3. From the heart of CC