Conversations with God…40 Day Prayer Adventure
Week 4
The focus of day 22 is, “keeping the main thing the main thing.” Prayer was one of the main things in the early church as Acts 2:42 illustrates – and they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers (KJV). We must take these priorities seriously today and make prayer a main thing in our church.
Prayer-a-prase the following passage from the book of Zechariah – Next I’ll deal with the family of David and those who live in Jerusalem. I’ll pour a spirit of grace and prayer over them. They’ll then be able to recognize me as the One they so grievously wounded – that piercing spear-thrust! And they’ll weep – oh, how they’ll weep! Deep mourning as of a parent grieving the loss of the firstborn child (12:10-13 The Message).
Days 23-26 deal with, “the prayer of Jabez.” Jabez was a character in the Old Testament known entirely for a prayer that he offered God. His prayer is recorded, with commentary, in I Chronicles 4:10 – Jabez called out to the God of Israel: “If only You would bless me, extend my border, let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm, so that I will not cause any pain.” And God granted his request (HCSB).
This prayer petitions God for four things that are vital to the health of our church. Pray-a-phrase these four things to happen in our life. Look for other places in scripture where other people prayed for these things.
As we pray the “prayer of Jabez” we must be cautions not to turn this prayer into
some kind of magical formula. “Jabezzary” is the popular caricature of this biblical prayer and must be avoided by all sincere Christians. Two observations, by trusted writers, help me keep “the prayer of Jabez” in biblical balance. The first deals with persistence in prayer and the second with the relational nature of prayer.
Jack Taylor wrote of Jabez many years before the publication of Bruce Wilkinson’s best selling book. In 1983 he wrote, “Jabez is a clear example of one who prayed persistently. He stood up and out among his peers and, though his name spoke of pain (It means ‘pain.’), he developed such a persistence to pray that thousands of years after the fact we not only know that he prayed, we know what he prayed.” Jabez’ prayer experience was not magic. It took place over a long history with God and was born of relationship.
Stanley Grenz cautions thoughtful Christians about moving “the prayer of Jabez” out of its relational context. He writes, “I should note here that this Old Testament account reports what happened in one particular situation. The situation does not provide us with a universally applicable principle.”
As I reconstruct Jabez’ experience I see that God gave Jabez some things that he wants to give all of us and some things unique to his situation. For example God wants to bless all of us. He wants to empower all of us for service and he wants to keep all of us from evil. David asked for all of these things. He said, “Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not” (Psalm 17:5 KJV). Other biblical characters prayed for these things as well. These requests are universal and will always be honored by God. Jabez’ other requests were contingent on relationship. They are particular. I believe that God placed a desire in Jabez’ heart to have his territory extended and that he was prepared for this increase in responsibility. Jabez prayed this desire to God and he granted his request. Increased influence comes from answer to prayer and a persons past faithfulness over, “the small things.” If you want God to increase your territory be faithful with what you already have. If you want to slay the dragons first you must kill the roaches.
Day 27 deals with listening prayer. Prayer at its best is a conversation with God. Barry Landrum gives a four-step process for listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking from scripture. Use this process as you pray today.
1. Internalize a passage of scripture.
2. Personalize the passage.
3. Prayer-a-phrase the passage.
4. Listen for the prayer response from the Holy Spirit.
On day 28 Dr. Landrum writes about the speaking God. God has spoken and still speaks to his people. He speaks through scripture as we have already seen. God also speaks apart from scripture but never in contradiction to it. Dr. Landrum writes that God’s contemporary speaking does not reveal new doctrine. He says, “Listening to God is not about newness, but about nowness. God speaks through inward impressions from the Holy Spirit, dreams, visions, congregational prophecy, situations, etc. Listen to God and pray in response. Pray this today – “Lord, I’m willing to be a listener to your voice. Teach me to hear, I pray, In Jesus’ name.”