The Jabez Triumph

Part 1

“Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”
2 Corinthians 2:14

Jabez story is a historical classic, and movies, books and poems that may have been written on him may be of historic proportions.

This man can be characterized as a legend, someone the bible who can easily qualify as a hero of faith even though he was not mentioned by Apostle Paul in Hebrews 11.
9And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
10And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10

Books have been written about the Jabez Prayer, poems have been written and sang about the Jabez Prayer, and movies have been staged on the Jabez Prayer, but what about the Jabez Triumph?

I want to know how this man made it from ground zero, which many of us are in, to the ivory tower of prominence, victory and the blessed one; I want to know what he had in him that provoked the mental, spiritual and physical tenacity causing the release which he had; I want to know what he did beside prayer that delivered him from the drudgery of living an empty life to the citadel of hope, conquest, peace and joy; I want to know what are his contemplations, regrets, weaknesses and strengths.

I believe Jabez was man just like us, the same way Prophet Elijah who in his lifetime wrought awesome works of wonders, signs and miracles, but whom God’s word equaled to us.
17Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit..
James 5:17-18

Jabez, as his mother named him, implies sorrow. We were not given details as to why the mother named her son this way, other than she conceived him in sorrow.

I know of women that have had painful and costly conceptions, pregnancies and deliveries, yet when the baby was eventually born, they were excited and named their children blessed names, glorifying God.

Your name identifies you; it gives you your purpose, personality and destiny. In other words, right from Jabez infancy, youthful experiences and all the way to his adult life, he never enjoyed peace, joy and rest. He was always a victim of circumstances. His personality provoked that of shame, regret, destruction and spite.

You have no idea what it means to live a life daily wondering why you were made like this. Why you are so different from others. And living in guilt and painful memories of what you have done or should not have done.

But all that changed in the life of Jabez. Jabez triumphed over his life of sorrow.

What happened? What was the process? Was it just one day or it took months and years of work for this massive change to occur in his life? What pieces of examples can we gather from his life story to emulate or copy?

Yes, his prayer caused him to triumph, but there was more to it. Jabez had qualities in him and he did things that gave him the qualifying approval.
10And God granted him that which he requested.
1 Chronicles 4:10

In this WORD FOR TODAY series, we will examine What Jabez Had in Him.

There are six things or qualities, I have come to identify that Jabez had that worked together or metamorphosed into the triumph he had in his life.
Firstly, Jabez had a desire in him.
Desire is an innate hunger within the human to have, to acquire, appropriate and seek for something beyond and above what one has. Jabez had a desire so strong within him for change that he could hardly sleep or converse with any one without referencing it.

I believe the desire in Jabez was to have the good life; the life of giving people joy, peace and rest instead of pain, bitterness and tears; I believe Jabez had the desire to provide for his family, make peoples lives better and contribute to a successful and vibrant community or family; I believe Jabez had the desire to be fiscally responsible and economically independent; I believe Jabez had the desire to achieve the American dream or whatever dreams befits your country or community.

But Desire is in the pursuit. Desire by itself is nothing, without the engine in motion to make it happen. Desire without taking steps is nothing but a wish list, and like what has been prominently said, “If wishes were horses then beggars would ride.”

Desire is like a propelled grenade ready to detonate with its lever off. No one can block it except you.

The Lord Jesus Christ himself said,
24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Mark 11:24

This concludes the first lesson in this series. Join us next time for the second installment of THE JABEZ TRIUMPH…

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