Keep Me From Evil
1 Chronicles 4:9,10 Jabez was honoured more than his brothers; and his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “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 hurt and harm!” And God granted what he asked.
It’s funny, but blessing and temptation seem to go hand in hand in life. When the devil sees that you’re being blessed, he’s rubbing his hands because he knows that this is going to be a great time to attack.
If you haven’t yet noticed, God absolutely delights in blessing His people. I hope that you realise that by now!! He’s not a stingy God. He’s a God of abundant blessing.
In fact He has such an abundance mentality that when He blesses us, He wants us to share it around. He provides us with the people, the space and the power to share it around. That’s what Jabez’s prayer was all about:
1 Chronicles 4:10 Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “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 hurt and harm!” And God granted what he asked. (NRSV)
But have you ever noticed that when God blesses us, the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion? Because he knows that when we’re being blessed, we tend to let down our defences. We stop praying as much and reading God’s Word as much.
And somehow, the Holy Spirit, knowing that, caused Jabez to cap off his audacious prayer for blessing with this all-too-important, all-too-easy-to-neglect petition:
Oh … and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!
Quite literally, in the original Hebrew, Jabez asked God to keep him from calamity and evil that he wouldn’t cause any pain. What a great thing to ask God for.
So when was the last time that you went to God and asked Him for so much blessing, that you knew that you knew, that you’d need His protection when the devil came after you? Hmm?
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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