What is the prayer of Jabez, and how can it help those of us struggling with our mental health? I'm glad you asked! Let's take a look at the Prayer of Jabez in the Bible, and how it can be a useful prayer to God for us. Here's 1 Chronicles 4:9-10:
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested. (NKJV)
Before digging in, I need to acknowledge and recommend the book by Bruce Wilkinson, The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life." Enjoy!
To begin, Jabez prays that God would bless him. Ever since I read the book and the passage, I begin each day by praying , "Oh, that You would bless me indeed." And I pray the Prayer of Jabez. I know for a fact that He has blessed me. Come to think of this, when I do my prayer walks, I pray this as well. And those of us with mental illness need His blessing for sure. So I pray...
Jabez then prays that God would enlarge his territory. This has a special meaning for me. My mental illness has shrunk my territory. In the years leading up to my bipolar 2 diagnosis I experienced my "territory," my sphere of life, shrinking. Whereas I was once bold and intrepid, I found myself tentative and insecure. Praise God for the progress I have made in recent years. And I credit God for this. I have prayed to Him and continue to pray, "Enlarge my territory."
Jabez then prays, "...that your had would be with me." What a blessing to have God's hand with me, working on me, working for me. To speak of His hand is to speak of His power. (Just do a Google search of verses about God's powerful hand.) And what I desperately need is God's hand upon me as I struggle to overcome my bipolar disorder.
I think a bit differently than Bruce Wilkinson regarding the end of Jabez's prayer: "...that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain." Yes, the "keep me from evil" smacks of the Lord's Prayer, "...and lead us not into temptation.." This has a general application for every Christian, that we want to be kept from faith-trying circumstances. But for me, what I want God to keep me from is all those "triggers" that can bring me down emotionally-mentally. So I pray, "Lord, keep me from evil!"
Wilkinson has little to say about the final phrase in Jabez's prayer, "that I may not cause pain." For Jabez, this phrase harkens back to his childbirth, of which his mother says, "...I bore him in pain." But Jabez is not a woman, so what was he referring to? I believe he was thinking about all his human relationships, that he did not want to cause anyone pain. This gives me great comfort. I apply this to those around me, and how they are caused pain when I "tumble" emotionally/mentally. I have been hospitalized twice for severe depression and anxiety, so know just how much pain I cause to those closest to me when this happens. Therefore, I pray with Jabez, "that I may not cause pain."
Let me offer one final comforting thought regarding Jabez's prayer. Look how it ends. "So God granted him what he requested." Amen! That is great motivation for me to pray the Prayer of Jabez. Will you join me?
Blessings!
-The Christian Bipole
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