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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