The Prayer of Jabez: His Hand is Ever More With Us

"And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.

"And 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)

In yesterday's post, the first two elements of Jabez' prayer:

"Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast"

were expounded at length, and when read through the Finished Work of Jesus Christ, we find that these prayers have been answered already for us in Christ.

As for the remaining two key elements of this prayer, you can see that God has answered Jabez' bold plea for all us through His Son, the Man of Sorrows.

"That thine hand might be with me." Even in the Old Testament, during the Babylonian Captivity, God revealed His tender, ever-present care for His people, and by inheritance through Christ for us:

"Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?" (Isaiah 43: 13)

His hands are eternally safe and secure. But there's more in store for those who believe on Him:

"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."  (Isaiah 49: 16)

Not only does God have His hand on us, we are on His hands, never to be wiped away.

Jesus also declares His extravagant love for us:

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." (John 10: 28)

Paul illustrates in a seventeen-fold conviction that God's love surmounts all:

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

"Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 37-39)

And of course:

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

"So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." (Hebrews 13: 5-6)

And this boldness is ours, through the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ!