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Never, Never, Never Diminish Your Soul!


The prayer of Jabez is wonderful.  Not, I would argue, for the example of how God answered prayer.  Wait, you might say, who wouldn’t want their prayers to be answered in such an incredible way?  I think his prayer is wonderful because Jabez had the faith to pray for something that God had promised!

After the exodus from Egypt, God promised His people:  “For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders…”  (Ex 34:24).  So, many years later, Jabez prayed:  “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.  (1 Chr 4:10)

So here I am in 2020, struggling with the prayer of Jabez as I consider the strange and the unique of today: quarantines, shelter in place, lockdowns, self-isolation, social distancing and facemasks - it feels like my borders are diminishing.

Are they diminishing?  Well, I rarely go to a store anymore.  Work meetings are done via technology.  I stay away from groups because being in groups heightens exposure.   By doing what is expected of me, you could say that my borders have been diminishing.  So how in the world can my borders ever return to normal, let alone be enlarged?

I’m not going to advocate for reclaiming borders and even enlarging them if it means ignoring guidelines and mandates.  But what I will advocate for, is that while certain aspects of my life might be diminishing, I cannot allow my soul to be diminished.  And it should be said that the diminishing of my soul can happen in contexts that go well beyond pandemics.

But what’s most significant is that no one can really diminish my soul except for me.  And if truth be known, I’m not only quite capable of it but I’m also very good at it.  On top of that, I’ve done it all too often.  So, from the voice of experience, I know that I diminish my soul when I:

  • don’t forgive;
  • don’t seek reconciliation;
  • don’t listen;
  • make assumptions;
  • harbor resentment;
  • become bitter;
  • act selfishly;
  • am proud or arrogant;
  • assume the worse;
  • rationalize and justify;
  • don’t take responsibility;
  • adopt an entrenched defensive posture;
  • blame others;
  • am ungrateful;
  • treat others with disrespect.

In Deuteronomy, we find the following encouragement in regard to our souls:  “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life.”  (Deut 4:9)

And in Proverbs:  “He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good.”  (Proverbs 19:8)

And in the Psalms:  “Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.  His soul shall abide in well-being…” (Ps 25:12-13)

While the prayer of Jabez was likely rooted in enlarging geographic territory at a time when Israel was growing as a nation, what God desires for me today is to enlarge the capacity of my soul.  And, as the capacity of my soul is enlarged, I can better love and serve Him.  I can also better love and serve people.

In the midst of the realization that I have the ability to diminish my soul, I should also be very aware of the damage it does to me.  But I would be remiss if I didn’t also realize that it often causes damage to others.

I can, however, counteract the diminishing of my soul by diligently caring for it through remembering and believing who God is and what He has done.  In addition, the well-being of my soul is deeply rooted in fearing God and heeding His instruction.  I can also show a love for my soul by asking God for wisdom in how I should live.

Such are the foundations upon which I should be diligently laying a Spirit led, no compromise, steadfast refusal to engage in that which diminishes my soul!

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