Sermon Series: The Prayer of Jabez 

Asking for the Hand of God

 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

PSBC 11/4/01 AM

In a nutshell: Asking for God's Hand is to ask for God's power and God's protection in your life, so much so, that unless you receive it, you will fail in what you attempt.

I. Introduction

A. The Touch of Greatness introduction (Prayer of Jabez, pp. 45-46)

Now you've done it. Gone over the edge. Gotten in too deep. Come up smack against the cold stone of reality. You are unable to hold on to the life you reached for…

Having dared to ask for an enlarged ministry, more than a few Christians have faltered at this point in their spiritual transformation. They've received blessings on a scale they hadn't imagined possible. They've seen God stretch the limits of their influence and opportunities.

But suddenly the rush of wind under their wings stops. Helpless, they start to plummet.

Sound familiar? Maybe your new business opportunities threaten to outrun your experience and resources. Maybe the new ministry opportunities you prayed for and received are turning out to require a person with more ability than you will ever have.

You have taken up an armload of God's blessings, marched into new territory… and stumbled into overwhelming circumstances. When believers find themselves in this kind of unexpected quandary, they often feel afraid. Mislead. Abandoned. And a little angry.

B. Prayer of Jabez review

Here we are friends-the third sermon in a four-part series on the Prayer of Jabez. Jabez was a Jew who lived somewhere in the middle of the period of time between Moses and the first king, Saul.

We don't know much about him other than the fact that out of all the people of his generation, God singled him out as a living example of what happens when a human being wants to do something extra for God. In the case of Jabez, we have a man who intentionally took the magnifying glass of his life off of himself and focused it exclusively on God. As we learned in our first message of this series, we call this honoring God. And because of Jabez's unique desire, among all his generation, to honor God, God honored him. He was singled out and set up as an example for us to follow…, plus God answered his prayer.

The story of Jabez is found in two verses in the Old Testament…

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." 10 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.

B. So far…

So far, we've looked at the first two elements of this prayer.

1. First, we've seen that asking for God to bless us, is really asking for God's supernatural favor on our lives-on His terms and in His timing. In other words, we are asking for something only God can do in our lives, when God sees fit to do it.

2. Second, last week we learned that by asking for his territory to be expanded, Jabez was asking for more opportunities to have an influence for God. In other words, he wanted his life enlarged to hold the life God wanted him to live. That way he would influence life for God, rather than life merely influencing him.

C. Dr. Mitchell's advice

Dr. Bruce Wilkinson, who wrote the book, The Prayer of Jabez, started praying this prayer everyday, more than 30 years ago. Some of you have enough history in the Christian church to remember how God blessed his new ministry that he started about that same time, when he graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary.

"Walk Thru the Bible" seminars took the country by storm. Bruce Wilkinson's seminar was one of the hottest entities in the Christian church for years. His books were all best sellers. And he influenced just about every major independent and denominational curriculum publishing company by his unique approach to teaching. I was the Managing Editor of Curriculum for Gospel Light Publications at the time, and on several occasions we had Dr. Wilkinson into our offices in Ventura to consult and train our editorial staff in his educational philosophy and the content of his seminars. God was indeed blessing and expanding his territory.

It was about this time that he realized that he was the wrong man for the job. He writes, "…most days all I could see was the ground rushing up at me." (p. 46). And that's when he sought the counsel of John Mitchell, one of his spiritual advisors. Dr. Wilkinson describes the conversation with John Mitchell this way…

Wilkinson said, "I can't shake the feeling that I'm the wrong man to lead this ministry." John Mitchell said, "Son, that feeling you are running from is called dependence. It means you're walking with the Lord Jesus…. Actually, the second you're not feeling dependent is the second you've backed away from truly living by faith." So, Wilkinson asked, "You mean that feeling that I just can't do it is what I'm supposed to be feeling?" And John Mitchell said, "Why certainly!"

On the front of your WIG's this morning is how Bruce Wilkinson summed up what he learned from his conversation with John Mitchell…

"As God's chosen, blessed sons and daughters, we are expected to attempt something large enough that failure is guaranteed… unless God steps in." (Dr. Bruce Wilkinson, The Prayer of Jabez, p. 47)

So, this morning we're going to focus on the third phrase that Jabez prayed… after God blesses us, after He expands our territory for ministry, Jabez's models this idea…, Let your hand be with me.

To understand what he means, we have to do a little digging into what Jabez knew from history, and how God worked in the nation of Israel's life.

II. Hand of God

A. Israel Out of Egypt

The very first time this idea of God's hand is used in Scripture was during a time long before Jabez lived. -Israel was in captivity in Egypt. -They were enslaved and forced to build the pyramids for the Pharaoh's. -Moses had been born, and miraculously saved from certain death by the Pharaoh's daughter, -He grew up in Pharaoh's court. -As a young adult, he killed an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite. -His intentions were misunderstood by his fellow Jews. -He became a wanted man. -And he ran away to the far side of the desert, where he became a shepherd and a nomad.

Then out of the blue, one day, Moses saw a bush burning in the desert, but the bush wasn't being consumed. He went to investigate, and God spoke to him out of that burning bush. Among other things, the voice of God told Moses that he was to be the one to lead Israel out of Egypt and to the Promised Land of Canaan.

But Moses had questions about how this was going to happen. He wasn't a good communicator, he was a "wanted man" back in Egypt. The Egyptian Pharaoh didn't like him anymore, and his own people misunderstood him and they didn't really didn't want his leadership. And when he brought all this up to God, God said this…

Exodus 3:19-20 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.

For the first time in history, we are told that the hand of God is a compelling device, it is strong device, a wonder-filled device, a destructive device, and a miracle-working device. Friends, I would call the hand of God, the awesome power of God brought to bear on a situation that God cares about.

The "hand of God" is spoken about 5 other times in connection with the liberation of Israel from Egypt. And every time it speaks of the same awesome power of God brought to bear on a situation that He cared about.

B. Moses on Mt. Sinai

The next time the hand of God is mentioned in scripture was during Israel's trip from Egypt to the land of Canaan. The setting is during Moses' second trip up to Mt. Sinai. If you'll remember, the first time Moses went up on to the top of this mountain, God gave him the 10 Commandments on two tablets of stone.

On his way down the mountain, though, after this meeting with God, Moses saw that the children of Israel were engaged in pagan worship to a golden idol that had been made in the shape of a calf. In the short time he was gone, Israel had abandoned God and started to worship an idol. This angered Moses, greatly. In fact, Moses got so ticked off that he threw the tablets down in a fit of rage, and they shattered into pieces.

When Moses returned to the bottom of the mountain, under God's direction, Moses punished the perpetrators of the idol worship. Then once the problem was taken care of, Moses went back up the mountain to get another copy of the Law from God.

So, the setting now, is at the top of Mt. Sinai, the second time, and Moses is conversing with God. I'm going to ask you to turn to Exodus 33. And I'd like you to follow along as I read a portion of this story.

Exodus 33:13-23 13 (Moses said) If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." 14 The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" 17 And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." 18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." 21 Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."

Friends, here we have an expansion of the meaning of the hand of God. Not only is it the awesome power of God brought to bear on a situation, but in this case, when the Lord's hand was on Moses, Moses received God's approval, His favor and His protection. I would call that, receiving PEACE from God.

One of the great hymns of Christendom gets its inspiration from this portion of the Bible…

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock That shadows a dry thirsty land He hideth my soul in the depths of His love, And covers me there with His hand.

Dr. James Dobson, of Focus on the Family, illustrates this idea from his childhood…

"My dad also loved me. I've known that from my earliest moments of awareness. I'm told that when I was a small child, perhaps three years of age, we lived in a one-bedroom apartment. My little bed was located beside the bed of my parents. Dad said it was not uncommon during that time for him to awaken at night and hear a little voice whispering, 'Daddy? Daddy?' He would answer quietly, 'What, Jimmy?' Then I would reply, 'Hold my hand!' My dad would reach across the darkness and grope for my little hand, then my arm would become limp and my breathing deep and regular. I had gone back to sleep. You see, I only wanted to know that he was there!"

Friends, when we ask for the hand of God on our lives, we are asking God to help us know He is there-giving us peace, favor, approval, and protection.

But there's one other thing I want you to see from this second instance of God's hand resting on Moses. Remember, God's hand was placed on Moses because Moses wanted to look directly on God. Moses wanted to see God with his eyes, in all of God's glory and splendor. But God couldn't grant this request directly-otherwise Moses would die from the sheer magnificence of the sight of God. So, God gave him the protection of his hand. But by touching Moses, something happened-we would call it a by-product of God's hand on Moses. Paul writes about this by-product in…

2 Corinthians 3:7 7 … the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory…

The accounts of Moses, after he came down from Mt. Sinai that second time, tell us that Moses' face glowed. God's hand had left a marked impression on the physical appearance of Moses. It was obvious to everyone around that Moses had been with God.

And that's a by-product you and I can count on as well. When we ask for… and receive… God's hand-people around us will recognize that God is at work in us and through us and around us.

C. Putting it together

So, friends, understand that when we ask, like Jabez asked, that God's hand would be with us, we are asking for… 1. God's power to be brought to bear on whatever situation we have to tackle, and 2. God's peace thru His approval, favor, and protection to rest on us so everyone would see.

Now, let's apply that by taking a look at a New Testament example of God's hand at work…

III. The Early Church

The death of the early church martyr, Stephen scattered many in the early Christians into all directions, out of Jerusalem.

Acts 11:19 19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews.

Although Stephen's death was a horrible thing, God used it as a good thing. It got some of the Jews out of Jerusalem, where it was safe and familiar and secure, and they started to go to other parts of the world, where they would not have gone normally. And in doing so, they started to share the gospel with people they felt safe with in these new cities-other Jews.

But Jesus' Great Commission said…

Matthew 28:19 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…,

…not just the Jews. So, some of them ventured out of their comfort zone and tried something that was God-sized-beyond what they would normally do, or normally feel comfortable doing. Look at this verse…

Acts 11:20 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.

Do you see what's happening? They were attempting something large enough that failure was guaranteed…unless God stepped in. And look at what happened…

Acts 11:21 21 The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

God put His hand on them, and they succeeded in an area where no one else had succeeded before. Gentile believers in Antioch were added to the church through their witness. And the church grew like wildfire in that city. In fact it was out of this movement of God at Antioch, that we get our name-Christian. Antioch was where that term was first used. And we are told in one of the following verses…

Acts 11:26 26 …for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people.

Wilkinson writes in his book, "When we ask for God's mighty presence like Jabez and the early church did, we will also see tremendous results that can be explained only as from the hand of God." (p. 55)

IV. Conclusion

Friends, when God-sized opportunities start to come your way, because you have asked for God's blessing and have asked Him to expand your territory, you must have God's hand on your life, or you will fail miserably.

Analyze where you're at right now… -if you are refusing to move forward, -or if you're paralyzed by fear, -or if you've been trying to go it alone, -or if you're trying to accomplish what God wants you to accomplish by using your own ingenuity and strength… …you will not succeed-that's guaranteed!

Doing things in your own strength has failure or mediocrity written all over it. Plus, when you try to do things in our own strength, God is never honored or glorified. In fact, when you operate out of fear or pride you dishonor God by your lack of faith in His power and protection.

-When we ask for God's hand, we don't become great-we become dependent on God, and He becomes great. -When we surrender to God, that surrender turns our situation into an unlimited opportunity for Him to work.

Illustration: A baseball in my hands is worth about $5.00; a baseball in the hands of my cousin's son, Mark Mulder, who pitches for Oakland, is worth about $3.2 million. A golf club in my hands is absolutely worthless; but a golf club in Tiger Woods' hands is priceless. A walking stick in my hands might keep me from stumbling; but a rod in the hand's of Moses will part the Red Sea. A sling shot in my hands is nothing more than a toy; but a sling shot in the hands of David will kill a giant. Two fish and five loaves in my hands makes a few sandwiches; five loaves and two fish in the hands of Jesus will feed over 5000 people.

You see, it all depends on whose hands its in.

So friends, put… …your worries, …your fears, …your doubts, …your plans, …your God-sized tasks, and …your life in God's hands. And He promises to demonstrate His awesome power and His wonderful protection and peace when He expands the boundaries of your life to serve Him more.

Jabez showed us that God granted that request-let your hand be with me. And folks, He's still the same God, and He's just waiting for you to ask.

Amen.