RECEIVING THE BLESSING (1 OF 4)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: 1 Chronicles 4:9-10
This content is part of a series.
Receiving the Blessing (1 of 4)
Series: The Prayer of Jabez
Jeff Strite
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
OPEN: It's reported that a preacher in Redrock, Mississippi prayed this sermon:
''Oh Lord, give Thy servant this mornin' the eyes of the eagle and the wisdom of the owl; connect his soul with the gospel telephone in the central skies; 'luminate his brow with the Sun of heaven; possess his mind with love for the people; turpentine his imagination, grease his lips with 'possum oil, loosen his tongue with the sledge hammer of Thy power; 'lectrify his brain with the lightnin' of the word; put 'petual motion on his arms; fill him plum full of the dynamite of Thy glory; 'noint him all over with the kerosene oil of Thy salvation and SET HIM ON FIRE. Amen!''
We'd all agree, that was an unusual prayer.
APPLY: There are many unusual prayers throughout scripture, but the one we find here in I Chronicles 4 is perhaps one of the most unique. For centuries it has caught the attention of serious Bible students because - among other things - it pops up right in the middle of a text where you wouldn't expect it: a very boring genealogy.
Vs.4-6 ''Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah…. (and then) Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah. Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari.'' And it goes on and on and on… Trust me, all that is important to somebody. It may not appeal to you or me -but it is important to someone.
But here, (in the midst of a very standard, very boring list), the Chronicler pauses and mentions this story about Jabez and his 2 sentence prayer.
When God does something like that (places the unusual in the midst of the commonplace) He tends to get our attention. And we realize as we read this, that God is using this contrast like a jeweler would use black velvet under a diamond to show off it's beauty
The 2nd reason this prayer catches a Bible student's attention is because it's so short. It's ...
Series: The Prayer of Jabez
Jeff Strite
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
OPEN: It's reported that a preacher in Redrock, Mississippi prayed this sermon:
''Oh Lord, give Thy servant this mornin' the eyes of the eagle and the wisdom of the owl; connect his soul with the gospel telephone in the central skies; 'luminate his brow with the Sun of heaven; possess his mind with love for the people; turpentine his imagination, grease his lips with 'possum oil, loosen his tongue with the sledge hammer of Thy power; 'lectrify his brain with the lightnin' of the word; put 'petual motion on his arms; fill him plum full of the dynamite of Thy glory; 'noint him all over with the kerosene oil of Thy salvation and SET HIM ON FIRE. Amen!''
We'd all agree, that was an unusual prayer.
APPLY: There are many unusual prayers throughout scripture, but the one we find here in I Chronicles 4 is perhaps one of the most unique. For centuries it has caught the attention of serious Bible students because - among other things - it pops up right in the middle of a text where you wouldn't expect it: a very boring genealogy.
Vs.4-6 ''Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah…. (and then) Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah. Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari.'' And it goes on and on and on… Trust me, all that is important to somebody. It may not appeal to you or me -but it is important to someone.
But here, (in the midst of a very standard, very boring list), the Chronicler pauses and mentions this story about Jabez and his 2 sentence prayer.
When God does something like that (places the unusual in the midst of the commonplace) He tends to get our attention. And we realize as we read this, that God is using this contrast like a jeweler would use black velvet under a diamond to show off it's beauty
The 2nd reason this prayer catches a Bible student's attention is because it's so short. It's ...
There are 10288 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
