Week 28: God's Embrace

This week's Bible reading plan is as follows:

• Sunday: 1 Chronicles 4:5-5:17; Acts 25:1-27; Psalm 5:1-12; Proverbs 18:19
• Monday: 1 Chronicles 5:18-6:81; Acts 26:1-32; Psalm 6:1-10; Proverbs 18:20-21
• Tuesday: 1 Chronicles 7:1-8:40; Acts 27:1-20; Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 18:22
• Wednesday: 1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14; Acts 27:21-44; Psalm 8:1-9; Proverbs 18:23-24
• Thursday: 1 Chronicles 11:1-12:18; Acts 28:1-31; Psalm 9:1-12; Proverbs 19:1-3
• Friday: 1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17; Romans 1:1-17; Psalm 9:13-20; Proverbs 19:4-5
• Saturday: 1 Chronicles 15:1-16:36; Romans 1:18-32; Psalm 10:1-15; Proverbs 19:6-7

Our S.O.A.P. this week is from the book of 1 Chronicles:

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 4:9, 10
"There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, 'Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!' And God granted him his request."

Observation:
Ever since Bruce Wilkinson published his 2000 bestseller, The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, I haven't been able to read this passage the same way. By all accounts, this passage gives us a passing glance at an obscure person in Scripture (the man Jabez is mentioned only here), who offers a rather shallow, self-centered prayer – he asked for more land, more success in life, and freedom from pain and suffering.

The truly amazing thing about this prayer is that God answered it!

The point is that God meets us wherever we are at in life...and grants even the simplest (even selfish) requests. The prayer, in other words, highlights God's grace and concern for every one of us. And that's a beautiful thing!

Mr. Wilkinson is a devout Christian man, and he wrote the book with the best of intentions. However, a lot of people applied the book in ways that the author never intended, taking the prayer to be some sort of magic formula...an incantation as it were...that could be memorized and prayed repeatedly to get phenomenal (usually self-centered) results. Within a year of the book's publication, Wilkinson published a follow-up book, Secrets of the Vine, in which he talked about how pain and suffering often play an important role in our spiritual growth...and that trying to get everything we desire in life is often counterproductive to our relationship with God.

Application:
I resonate more with the Psalmist's prayer in today's reading from Psalm 5:
O Lord, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.

Lead me in the right path, O Lord,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
For you bless the godly, O Lord;
you surround them with your shield of love.

I do not want to experience hardships...and I certainly do not pray for them. However, I also realize that we have tribulations in this world. Jesus said we would. When I find myself in the midst of difficulty, I pray that I would also find myself in the fullness of God's embrace.

Prayer:
Father in Heaven, please help me find you in any and every circumstance. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen!

Have a great week!

Faithfully,
Chuck