JABEZ
Today's reading:  1 Chronicles 1-4

"There was a man named Jabez, who was more distinguished than any of his brothers.  His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful.  He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, Oh, that you would bless me and extend my lands!  Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!  And God granted his request."  1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NLT

Sound familiar?

Have you read the little tan book?  Done the study?  Placed the verse on your wall?  Heard the preacher speak on it?

Have you prayed the prayer--and calamity still visited you and your house?

You prayed it word for word.

You prayed it up to three times a day.

You prayed it standing and you've prayed it kneeling.

And bad things still happened?

You are a little miffed with God because He answered the prayer for Jabez, but not for you.

I'm no Bible scholar.  I have no magic portal into the past.  I am not well versed in all things historical, but I have this opinion to offer about Jabez and his prayer:

He did his part.

He asked God to extend his lands and keep him from harm--and then he did everything in His power to move his own boundary fences and stay out of trouble.

That was Jabez's part.

It's ours, too.

We pray--and that's great, but we've also got to put some muscle into what we're praying for.  And?  Well, we need to expect a few tough times!

God heard his request, but I'll almost wager he still had some rough days.  Days when things didn't quite go his way.  Moments when he wondered if God even heard his prayer, let alone allowed scribes to copy it word for word in the Bible.

You will, too.