Jabez

While reading 1 Choronicles 4:9-10 last week, I came across a familiar passage. It is the story and prayer of Jabez. Until the late 1990s Jabez was as familiar a character in the Bible as Shamgar or Peleg. No one knew who Jabez was. Then a book was published called The Prayer Of Jabez, and suddenly everyone in church circles knew his story, prayed his prayer, and gave the book to each other as gifts.

Now years later when I read this passage it is set in my mind in the context of all that hubbub. But this time when I read it I came away with a very different sense of it then ever before. Jabez was given his name because his mother said that he was a pain in childbirth. Can you imagine having a name like, "You hurt me" or "Painful"? Or introducing yourself, "Hello, my name is Pain In The Neck"? Or hearing your name called each morning at school during roll call, "Head, Melon" and you answer, "Here"?

Jabez's whole life was marked with a reminder of something that he had no control over. Did you know that a person's name is the key to unlock their heart? Learning someone's name and addressing them by name makes them instinctively respond differently in conversation. There are few things more personal than your name. You have written it thousands of times, even practiced how you want it to look. You've said it over and over when introducing yourself, and you've thought about the proper way it should be said. Perhaps you've come up with some clever way of associating it so that when you tell someone your name they'll remember it. (i.e. "Rainey" like the weather.)

That most personal expression in Jabez's life was the impression of a mother at childbirth. When I was born they had to break my collar bone to get me out of my mother. I'm glad she didn't name me "Wide Load". (No matter how appropriate that might have been.)

Here's the thing that really struck me: Jabez chose not to be defined by the label of his past, instead he relied on the grace of God. When his story is told it is noted that he was more honorable than his brothers. He may have come from a birth story of pain, but his mother got it wrong. "Child of pain"should have been called "Most honorable son".

What label do you carry around? Alcoholic, Divorced, Angry, Incompetent? Jabez's life serves as an example your heritage, past, or label can't hold back the grace of God. Receive God's grace, and He'll rename your future.

--Ben