Mon.’s Devo - The Prayer of Jabez

Read: 1 Chronicles 4:5-5:17; Acts 25:1-27;Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 18:19 We are still reading about the line of Judah. In the midst of all the names and descendants we are given the prayer of Jabez who was of the lineage of Caleb in the tribe of Judah. Jabez was head of his family and lived near Jerusalem. His name means “sorrow” because he was born with much pain and sorrow. It is said that he was more honorable than his brothers. He prayed for a blessing from God that He would expand his territory and keep him from evil. And the good news is that God granted his request. We can pray that same prayer and God will grant it for us too. *** Shelah was Judah’s third son who was not killed by God and was supposed to be given to Tamar to marry but was not. His descendants became the linen workers and pottery makers who worked for the king. *** Simeon was Israel’s second son. He had 16 sons and 6 daughters. His territory was in the midst of Judah’s like an island. They were farmers. *** Israel’s oldest son was Rueben. He lost his position as the first born when he went in with his father’s concubine. His birthright was given to Joseph (Manasseh and Ephraim). Rueben is not mentioned in the genealogy as the first born. The Ruebenites had opted not to go over the Jordan and receive their inheritance in the promised land but stayed east of the Jordan. *** Also the tribe of Gad stayed east of the Jordan with Rueben. They stayed in the land they took from Og the king of Bashan. *** In Acts, the new Festus arrived in Jerusalem on his way to Caesarea. He was met by the Jewish leaders who gave him all the reasons they thought Paul was guilty and should be brought back to Jerusalem for trial. They planned to kill him on the way. Festus disagreed and told them they could accompany him to Caesarea and he would listen to them there. *** In the trial in Caesarea, the Jewish leaders gave their false accusations about Paul and he denied them all. Felix asked Paul if he wanted to go to Jerusalem to be tried and he said, No. He appealed to Caesar instead. This was a relief for Felix because he was in a hard place. He wanted to please the Jews and be on their side, but Paul was a Roman citizen and he had to do what was right there also. Sending him to Rome was a great ‘out’ for him. Now, he had to come up with a reason for sending Paul to Caesar. He asked King Agrippa and his wife Bernice to help him write his letter to Caesar. *** It amazes me how much power the Jews really had. The Roman leaders wanted their favor. I think this is true about Christians. We do not realize how afraid Satan’s kingdom is of us because we do not fully realize the power of God in us. When we do, we will be unstoppable. *** Lord, may we become aware of your greatness and use the power we have been given to combat evil in our society. Help us to get that we are the light of the world. We are to bring God’s kingdom to earth.