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

"9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." 10Jabez 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."

Lets review the lessons to this point.

• Jabez refused to let his life his life be defined by the pain of his circumstances.
• He stepped out in prayer, not only believing in God but recognizing his need for God to show up in his life.
• He unashamedly asked for God to grant His favor and blessing in his life.
• Jabez opened his life to God's plan and asked to be used in accomplishing what God had already declared to be will.

Have you taken those steps in your prayer? Is your life on track for increasingly being more defined by your prayer, than it is defined by your pain?

The next step for us is then to rely on God's power to work in our lives.

As soon as you say, God I surrender my all to you, use me! As soon as you do that and God reveals his plan for you (those next steps); it is very likely that you will immediately feel that you are in over your head.

Moses had that experience. As soon as God called to him from that burning bush, Moses said, "here I am". In a sense he was saying, "here I am, use me, I'm ready." And then God told Moses what he wanted, "Go to Egypt. You will be a blessing to my people." And immediately Moses starting making excuses; I can't do that! He was in over his head.

Remember Jonah, God's Prophet? God called him to go to the greatest city of his day, Nineveh. What did Jonah do? He goes the other way, literally gets in over his head.

Remember Mary? God sent an angel to tell her God had a special purpose for her life. She is going to be the mother of the messiah! What does she do? The first thing coming from her lips is, how can this be? She knew she was in over here head!

When you open your life to God's plan and purpose you're going to find yourself in over your head. God's plans are not like our plans. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways" declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." When God calls you to a task and you think, "it's too big, too much, I can't do it!" God has you right where he wants you, because then you have to depend on Him.

My earliest memory in life comes from when I was just three or four years old. My family went on a vacation to Gatlinburg TN and we rented a cabin and outside there was a pool. I can remember swimming as a family in that pool. The water was deep, but I wasn't worried. Because I remember my Dad had me sitting on his shoulders. You don't mind deep water when you have your Father w/ you.

Look at next phrase from the prayer of Jabez. He prays, "that your hand would be w/ me." Jabez knew that when God blesses and He gives us an awesome responsibility, then you better rely on God for your strength. I think God wants us to attempt things for Him that are so big that we are doomed for failure unless He shows up!

That's what Jabez prayed. "Expand my influence for you, but I need you. May your hand be with me." It was a prayer for God's presence and power; like a father shouldering a child in deep water. Paul gets at the same idea in 2 Corinthians 3, "we are not saying that we can do this work ourselves. It is God who makes us able to do all that we do."

Do you see what Paul was saying? He is basically saying, "If God doesn't show up, were toast!"

When was the last time that God showed up in your life in a special way? When was the last time you asked Him to? When was the last time that you prayed like that for your marriage, or in your role as a parent, or at your work, or even for your church? That's my prayer for you, for our church, and for us. If we are go to from ordinary to extraordinary-it will only be by the power and presence of God. May His hand be with us.