Your Mighty Hand Upon Me
1 Chronicles 4:9,10 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)
You’ve probably heard that saying that we’re blessed to be a blessing. That’s a great theory. But what does it actually mean to live that out in practice? To be a place where God’s blessing overflows through you, into the lives of those around you?
Jabez is a man who prayed one of the most audacious prayers that you’ll ever find in the Bible!
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)
So He asked God to bless him, not just a little bit, but a lot!! And God answered his prayer. In fact God blessed him so much that he had to ask God to expand his territory because he couldn’t contain the blessing. Isn’t that awesome? (This is the same God by the way, that you and I pray to, correct?!)
But the moment that happened, Jabez realised that he had another problem, so he asked God for something else:
Oh … that your hand might be with me …
God’s hand is used throughout Scripture as a symbol of His power. You see, the moment God blesses us and expands our borders, our influence, bringing more people to us with whom to share that overflow of blessing, we realise that we’re not up to the task. It’s too way big. The blessing is too much. We need God’s help to share it around.
So, when was the last time that you asked God for so much blessing in your life, that you’d need His help to share it around? Hmm?
Oh … that your hand might be with me … and God granted what He asked!
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
Blessed by this devotion?
Share it with a friend!
Respond