"Lessons in Prayer from an Unlikely Teacher" 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

"Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request."

Several years ago there was a little book on prayer that swept the best sellers lists. It was a good reminder to me of how much people really do want to know how to pray. So over the next couple of weeks, I want to share with you some lessons learned from that book: The Prayer of Jabez. It is full of lessons on prayer from an unlikely teacher.

The prayer is in an unlikely place. I doubt that any of you would say that 1 Chronicles is your favorite books o the bible! In fact, 1 Chronicles begins with the official family tree of the Hebrew people. Beginning w/ Adam, it traverses thousands of years of history listing name by name the descendents of Jacob's twelve sons all the to the time of Nehemiah. Tribe by tribe the chronicler drones on with name after name. Over 600 genealogies are listed. But in the fourth chapter there is this interlude. It is as if the historian catches his breath clears his throat, and says, "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request." And then without missing a beat he picks up and continues the family tree. There was something about Jabez that caught the historians attention, but more than that-there was something about the prayers of Jabez that caught the ear of God.

Now I have to confess, that for me personally, I don't find his prayer all that impressive. Read it aloud to yourself. (PAUSE - I'm waiting for you to read it!)

That's it! We don't really know much about Jabez. His name appears nowhere else. He lived in the south of Israel during the time of the Judges. (We just saw how crazy that time period was!) Some speculate he was a notable man, because in the region where he lived, a town bears his name.

But who was Jabez? He was just an ordinary guy. Not so different than you or me. But his name is a little strange. It's certainly not a name you hear every day. Jabez! His name literally means pain! Can you imagine that? Being named pain? People look at you and say, "You're such a pain. Here comes pain... in the neck! Or what a pain!" I don't think any of us would want to be named pain.

From the very beginning, Jabez had a hard path ahead of him. From birth, he is known for pain. Many of us can relate to that. We've picked up names along the road of hard knocks in life; names that we cannot shake. And those names label us. All of us have experienced pain. It may just be some inadequacy that you remember from childhood-always shy, never could do enough to please your parents-but it still haunts you. Maybe your pain was a broken relationship, or a divorce; like a wound that won't heal-it stays w/ you. Or maybe it is some kind of physical limitation. And you live under the cloud of that pain-name.

Nobody likes pain. Jabez made a decision his life wouldn't be ruled by pain. In his world, your name wasn't just a label. It sort of predicted your future. For example, remember Jacob? His name means grabber...all his life he was grabbing for more. Or take Solomon. His name means peace...and his reign brought peace. But Jabez seemed doomed for a life of pain. But notice that in the little we know of him, he is not really defined by pain. Instead he is noted because he was honored and blessed. Somehow, life went from ordinary and desperate to extraordinary and blessed. It all began with prayer. Now as we begin this two week journey with this unusual prayer teacher, it is important that you understand there's nothing magical about the words of his prayer. It's the attitude of his heart that was special. His is a story of a guy who illustrates how ordinary people can live extraordinary lives...and it all begins in prayer.