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1 Chronicles 4:10, And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

I have always been amazed at the little things in the Bible.  So often I have just read over them, giving them little thought.  Then someone writes a book or a devotion about them and I become angry for missing the meaning of these quick but powerful statements (could be a new adventure to examine in the days ahead!?).  Jabez’s prayer, for instance, is only two verses of the Bible; yet, its significance for us is important as we have a desire to walk deeper in our journey of faith.

Jabez concluded his request to be used more by the Lord by asking Him to “keep me from evil”.   Anyone who has walked with the Lord for any length of time and wants to be used by Him knows that evil is nearby to try to keep him or her from doing so.  To ask to be blessed, have your territory enlarged and to do so with God’s power is eventually going to be challenged by the devil.  Jabez showed us that in our prayer we must ask to be kept from evil.  He did not ask for God to be with him through evil. 

Challenges will come as you experience any success in this journey.  The deeper you get in the water the greater the pull to get you back to shore.  Distractions will come.  Opposition will come. The challenges are there to get you to drop your guard.  Bruce Wilkinson in his book, The Prayer of Jabez, states “Your danger is not being on the edge of the precipice, but in being unwatchful there.”  How do you keep evil away? Ask God.  In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”.  God wants us to ask and gives His favor when we do. 

There is evil all around us.  But that does not give us reason to be a part of it.  I pray that God keeps me from evil; the Bible has shown me a life that is better – beyond my imagination! Wilkinson said, “Stay out of the arena of temptation whenever possible,” he (Jabez) would advise, “but never live in fear or defeat.  By God’s power, you can keep your legacy of blessing safe.”  My choice; my desire!

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