Soul Scientist

Dear All,

Thank you so much for reading and sharing my posts, including this one called pain. I am grateful for each and every one of you.

I wonder if Jabez had similar thoughts about his friends since his name meant pain? Scripture doesn’t tell us if he said or thought things like this: “thank you for inviting me to your wedding despite my name” or “I’m grateful you wanted me to come to your harvest celebration in spite of my name” or something like that?

Yet Scripture does tell us this about Jabez – 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.  (1 Chronicles 4:10 HCSB).

Jabez knew more than the meaning of his name; he knew the potential implications of his name. That he was the cause of pain and thus, wherever he went or whatever he did, he could bring pain even to the happiest of moments. And because of this, he was (probably) unwanted and to be avoided. He was quite literally a walking invitation to pain.

We don’t know a lot about Jabez other than his name and his prayer. Things like his age, his physical abilities or gifts, his relationship with others, or such, remain as nothing more than questions. Yet we know what was important about Jabez – his relationship with his God. We can see the intimacy of this relationship in God’s description of him as more honorable than his brothers (1 Chronicles 4:9). Likewise, we can see the intimacy in Jabez’s prayer to his God in his cry not to live like his name’s meaning of pain.

Many have used Jabez’s prayer as a formula for a happy and successful life. They’ve believed the recitation of his words will align their circumstances, not just to avoid pain but to conquer it. And with stories I’ve heard or read, many have been experienced exactly this.

Yet, as one who lives with constant pain and reliance on Jabez’s God to make it through another day of unrelenting pain, I see another side to Jabez’s prayer. Please hear me – I’m not dismissing the value of Jabez’s prayer in any way. Rather, I’m seeing a fullness to his prayer for those of us who live in pain’s grip like he did.   

The fullness I see to Jabez’s prayer is that Scripture doesn’t tell me any more than this – And God granted his request. I don’t know if he was physically healed, financially freed, or socially accepted, or not. I don’t know if he lived a long life surrounded by family and friends in a big home with great climate, views, and food, or not. And the list of unknowns goes on…

But I know this – Jabez was blessed by his God in his life. And I know this – a blessed life cannot be duplicated nor denied, nor can it be faked or forced. It can only be received.

And the receiving of the gift of a blessed life requires empty hands on my part. For if my hands are full of anything I’ve gotten on my own, then there won’t be room for receiving the blessing. On that note, I can see Jabez praying in the same way I’ve done many times – collapsed on the floor or bed, face down, tears dripping, with upturned hands empty of everything but surrender. Desperate for hope, courage, and faith; empty of joy, strength, and endurance.

Yet in the doing, I’m ready for receiving the gift of a blessed life.

Jabez recognized he could do nothing about pain. Jabez knew God could do everything about pain. So, he held out his mustard-seed faith and asked his God to do something about the pain for him. And God did.

I know I can do nothing about pain. I know God can do everything about pain. He’s done it for others. He can do it for me.

But I must recognize this – God might not remove the pain, but He will give the hope, courage, and faith to praise in the pain. He will give the joy, strength, and endurance to remain faithful in the pain. Those aren’t just words of cheap grace. Those are truths gleaned from searching Scripture, hearing others’ stories, and my own past thirteen years here mired in pain.

Prayers breathed in and out through long days and longer nights in pain have brought Jabez’s blessing on my own life. I’ve received the blessing of the gifts of extended borders of faith and wisdom, having God’s hand upon me against grasping fear, being kept from the temptation of defeat, denial, and disbelief, and held fast against being the cause of another’s pain in my lack of compassion or understanding towards them.

Yes, this pain remains. But far more importantly, so does my God.

He hasn’t ever left and promises He never will.

He guides and stays alongside.

There is nothing coming that He doesn’t know about. There is nowhere I can go that He isn’t already there. There are no tears or prayers He ignores.

There is no pain bigger than my God.

There is no pain borne without my God.

And the same is true for you, today. And for all of us for tomorrow and for every day after that.

For if our hands and hearts are empty with our eyes full of tears, we are ready to receive a blessing like Jabez did. A blessing not just for us, but to go out from us out into a world empty of hope, courage, and faith in dire need of Jabez’s and our Good God today.

A blessing like Paul talked about in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV,  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Our pain can be for His praise, if our hands and hearts are full of the blessing of His comfort.

Are you ready for this kind of blessing? I know I am.

Gratefully,

Beth

If you’d like to receive more posts like these straight to your email inbox, please sign up for the blog with this link – https://soulscientistblog.com/blog/

I’d love to hear from you with your ideas and stories, please contact me with this link https://soulscientistblog.com/contact/

Written by and copyrighted to Beth Madison, Ph.D., 2024.