prayer

And when [Jesus] had given thanks, He broke [the bread] and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 

— 1 Corinthians 11:24

Years ago, David Wilkerson wrote a runaway bestselling book called The Prayer of Jabez. It focused on a couple of Bible verses in the Old Testament. If you’ve never heard of this guy, Jabez, it’s no surprise. He’s mentioned only three times in the Bible, so we don’t know a lot of details about him. While we’re told he was honorable (1 Chronicles 4:9), the name Jabez actually means “he causes pain.” His mother named him Jabez because his birth had caused such pain (v. 9). Most Bible scholars believe that his birth must have been exceptionally painful or traumatic for his mother to give him such a name. 

Perhaps that’s why Jabez prayed this particular prayer: 

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.

— 1 Chronicles 4:10

We’re told God granted him this request. 

When I read Wilkerson’s book, I was struck by the simplicity of this prayer. Bless me. Enlarge my territory. Let Your hand be with me. Keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain. This is the type of prayer we all want to pray, right? Bless me. (Give me more of what I want.) Protect me. (Keep away from me what I don’t want.) Makes sense, right? 

While I’ve prayed different versions of this prayer too many times to count, I’ve been forced to come to terms with its limitations. This prayer — although scriptural and useful — is focused on what we want, not necessarily what God wants. It’s safe. It’s comfortable. Someone could even argue that it’s somewhat shortsighted — even selfish. 

Keep me from harm and free from pain makes sense. Who wants hardship? Who wants to struggle? But I wonder if we might as well be praying, “God, don’t let me grow. Don’t let me get stronger. Don’t allow me to trust You more.” Even though trials are never fun or easy to endure, God can often use them for His purposes. In fact, James, the half-brother of Jesus, was bold enough to tell us we should be thankful for the way God uses hardship to perfect us: 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. — James 1:2-4

If we pray only for protection from trials, then we rob ourselves of our future maturity. 

“Lord, keep me free from pain” feels like the right thing to pray — and often is. But if that’s our only desire, our biggest priority, then we may miss the perseverance that our trials produce. “God, protect me from harm” seems wise to pray — and can be. 

But it’s the challenges in life that help us mature and draw us closer to Christ. 

It’s fine to pray for safety and blessings, but what if you want more? What if you desire power from the Holy Spirit, strength from Heaven, unshakable faith, genuine intimacy with your Father? 

Instead of just asking God to keep you safe, give you more, and protect your life, you may have to ask God to break you. 
-craig groeschel