1 Chronicles 4: 9-10: Now Jabez was more honourable than his brothers, and his mother called his name [c]Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my [d]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.
What was the first secret of Jabez’s victory that enabled him to overcome the evil programmed unconsciously into his life through his name and become more honourable than his brothers? Was it prayer or knowledge?
If Jabez had not prayed to the God of Israel, he would have remained low in life due to the evil occurrences and pain programmed into his life through his mother’s confession and the name given to him. Nevertheless, the first secret of his victory was knowledge. He understood the significance of names and the implications of his own. He did not dispute the facts; instead, he confronted them. He could have argued that, as an Israelite and a member of the tribe of Judah, he was already blessed and didn’t need to take any action, but he was wiser than that. He recognized that the name had programmed him for evil and pain despite his inheritance from Abraham. He believed the truth (Israelites were blessed) and contended for its reality to manifest in his life through earnest prayers based on knowledge. He understood that THE BLESSING needs activation and prayed that God would indeed bless him. He recognized that the enlargement of territory is a form of protection. He knew that every child of God needs the anointing (the hand of God) to succeed and prayed for it. He specifically prayed against the evil and pain that had been programmed into his life, and God answered him so much that he became more honorable that all his brothers.