Verse 10 records what has become famous as the prayer of Jabez, because of the best-selling book. Though the book may have its biblical inaccuracies, the prayer itself is instructive. At first glance his four requests seem selfish, but a deeper reading shows why God honored his request.

God does want us to diligently seek His blessings, especially the spiritual ones (Matthew 7:7-8; James 4:2). God had also promised to enlarge Israel's territories, and Jabez was claiming that promise (harking back to Genesis 28:13-22). Jabez also recognized his need for God's gracious hand to be with him (as did Ezra in Ezra 7:9).

These requests build to his final one: "That You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" Considering that Jabez's name means "He Will Cause Pain," this was an honorable request, to become different than he started. Instead of causing others pain, we can seek God's help to heal, to serve and to bless others.

(This material is from a sermon Richard Pinelli gave July 20, 2002, in Cincinnati East, Ohio. The video and the audio of the sermon and the transcript are all available on the UCG Web site through www.ucg.org/sermons/.)