I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you
will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil 1:6)
will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil 1:6)
Expanding the Prayer of Jabez
It “just so happened” that I finished my slightly expanded version Prayer of Jabez in January, just as I was starting to read through the Bible that year. I was praying my expanded version of the prayer each morning, and then reading the portion of the Bible listed for that day. One morning as I was reading I got a clear nudge that a certain verse should be added to the prayer. Throughout the year it happened again and again and again, until by the end of the year when I finished reading the Bible, it was a five page prayer that is a summary of the various commands to us in the Bible prayed back to God.
I reorganized the prayer so that it fit into the ACTS format – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication, and then organized Supplication into several sub-topics according to the prayer of Jabez:
Continue to bless us indeed
Strengthen our gifts
Keep us from any evil
Protect us from any evil
Casting our cares on the Lord
The Delicate Balance
I realized that this prayer was God’s solution to the problem Paul described in Romans 7:21-25. On the one hand, Paul says that the harder we try to be good and follow what God tells us to do in the Bible, the worse we get. This is because if we are trying hard to change our own behavior, we are focused on our behavior, not on God. On the other hand, we can’t just ignore our weaknesses or the guidance that God gives us in his Word.
Best Intentions
The solution is for us to:
1. Study the Bible so we can be aware of God’s instructions to us.
2. Be aware of the many areas where we fall short.
3. Have the clear intention and desire to conform ourselves to how God wants us to be.
4. Surrender our weaknesses to God by praying for Him to make the necessary changes in us.
5. Keep our eyes on God and trust Him to do what he has promised.
That is exactly what this prayer does. It prays back to God, word for word, God’s instructions to us. This in turn:
I prayed this prayer every morning as it grew throughout the year. After it was finished, I continued to pray this prayer every morning for several months as I started my day, and found that it usually only took about twenty minutes. While in general it made me very aware of God’s desires for how I should live, it seemed like every time I prayed the prayer, something different would hit me as an area which I needed to trust God to make a change in my life. Over time it has been a major part of my effort to fully surrender to God and allow Him to make me the person He wants me to be.
How to Use the Prayer
There are a number of ways you can use this prayer to strengthen your spiritual life and your walk with the Lord:
Praying and Meditating on the Entire Prayer
While I no longer pray the entire prayer every day, several times a month God will give His not so subtle nudge that I need to stop what I am doing and pray the entire prayer. This often seems to happen when I have the most on my plate that day. I start to argue with God and tell Him I don’t have time that day. He then reminds me that is precisely why I need to take the time to pray through His word. I have always been glad that I obeyed Him, as this short time in praying God’s word back to Him helps to clear my mind of all the worldly concerns that have snuck back in, and gets me refocused on God, His will and His way.
Praying Sections of the Prayer
Sometimes I will break the prayer into sections and focus on adoration of God on Sunday, confession to God on Monday, thanksgiving to God on Tuesday, strengthening my spiritual gifts on Wednesday, keeping from evil on Thursday, protection from evil on Friday, and casting my cares on the Lord on Saturday.
As a Scripture Reference
Because the prayer is composed of numerous scriptures with references to the book and verse in the Bible, I can usually find a particular verse when I need it.
Group Prayer
This prayer is very powerful when prayed together as a group. Two people, such as a husband and wife, can pray through the prayer, alternating at each sentence. A larger group can pray the prayer together by sitting in a circle, starting with one person who prays the first sentence, and then the person to their left or right prays the next sentence, and so on around the circle. The result is everyone in the group praying together that, individually and as a group, they would be conformed to God’s will in their lives.
Praying/Meditating on a Specific Topic
Possible topics that are included in the prayer are:
Praising God
The Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit
Protection from Evil
The Ten Commandments
Not Gratifying the Desires of our Sinful Nature
The Prayer of St. Francis
The Armor of God
Casting our Cares on the Lord
Assignment – As Led by God:
1. Continue to pray continually, asking the Holy Spirit to “empty/cleanse me; fill/guide us; strengthen/protect/unify us,” and also praying the Our Father and the modified Prayer of Jabez.
2. Pray the complete “Praying God’s Word” prayer, and also try using portions of the prayer as appropriate. Try praying the prayer with your spouse or a group of believers. Underline or circle whatever you think God is pointing out to you as an area where you particularly need His help.
Scripture Memory Verse
I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil 1:6)
It “just so happened” that I finished my slightly expanded version Prayer of Jabez in January, just as I was starting to read through the Bible that year. I was praying my expanded version of the prayer each morning, and then reading the portion of the Bible listed for that day. One morning as I was reading I got a clear nudge that a certain verse should be added to the prayer. Throughout the year it happened again and again and again, until by the end of the year when I finished reading the Bible, it was a five page prayer that is a summary of the various commands to us in the Bible prayed back to God.
I reorganized the prayer so that it fit into the ACTS format – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication, and then organized Supplication into several sub-topics according to the prayer of Jabez:
Continue to bless us indeed
Strengthen our gifts
Keep us from any evil
Protect us from any evil
Casting our cares on the Lord
The Delicate Balance
I realized that this prayer was God’s solution to the problem Paul described in Romans 7:21-25. On the one hand, Paul says that the harder we try to be good and follow what God tells us to do in the Bible, the worse we get. This is because if we are trying hard to change our own behavior, we are focused on our behavior, not on God. On the other hand, we can’t just ignore our weaknesses or the guidance that God gives us in his Word.
Best Intentions
The solution is for us to:
1. Study the Bible so we can be aware of God’s instructions to us.
2. Be aware of the many areas where we fall short.
3. Have the clear intention and desire to conform ourselves to how God wants us to be.
4. Surrender our weaknesses to God by praying for Him to make the necessary changes in us.
5. Keep our eyes on God and trust Him to do what he has promised.
That is exactly what this prayer does. It prays back to God, word for word, God’s instructions to us. This in turn:
- Helps us to be aware of our weaknesses.
- Expresses our desire and intention to conform to God’s will for us as expressed in His Word.
- Acknowledges that we are helpless in accomplishing those changes ourselves.
- Surrenders those weaknesses to God, trusting Him to “complete the good work He began in us.”
I prayed this prayer every morning as it grew throughout the year. After it was finished, I continued to pray this prayer every morning for several months as I started my day, and found that it usually only took about twenty minutes. While in general it made me very aware of God’s desires for how I should live, it seemed like every time I prayed the prayer, something different would hit me as an area which I needed to trust God to make a change in my life. Over time it has been a major part of my effort to fully surrender to God and allow Him to make me the person He wants me to be.
How to Use the Prayer
There are a number of ways you can use this prayer to strengthen your spiritual life and your walk with the Lord:
Praying and Meditating on the Entire Prayer
While I no longer pray the entire prayer every day, several times a month God will give His not so subtle nudge that I need to stop what I am doing and pray the entire prayer. This often seems to happen when I have the most on my plate that day. I start to argue with God and tell Him I don’t have time that day. He then reminds me that is precisely why I need to take the time to pray through His word. I have always been glad that I obeyed Him, as this short time in praying God’s word back to Him helps to clear my mind of all the worldly concerns that have snuck back in, and gets me refocused on God, His will and His way.
Praying Sections of the Prayer
Sometimes I will break the prayer into sections and focus on adoration of God on Sunday, confession to God on Monday, thanksgiving to God on Tuesday, strengthening my spiritual gifts on Wednesday, keeping from evil on Thursday, protection from evil on Friday, and casting my cares on the Lord on Saturday.
As a Scripture Reference
Because the prayer is composed of numerous scriptures with references to the book and verse in the Bible, I can usually find a particular verse when I need it.
Group Prayer
This prayer is very powerful when prayed together as a group. Two people, such as a husband and wife, can pray through the prayer, alternating at each sentence. A larger group can pray the prayer together by sitting in a circle, starting with one person who prays the first sentence, and then the person to their left or right prays the next sentence, and so on around the circle. The result is everyone in the group praying together that, individually and as a group, they would be conformed to God’s will in their lives.
Praying/Meditating on a Specific Topic
Possible topics that are included in the prayer are:
Praising God
The Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit
Protection from Evil
The Ten Commandments
Not Gratifying the Desires of our Sinful Nature
The Prayer of St. Francis
The Armor of God
Casting our Cares on the Lord
Assignment – As Led by God:
1. Continue to pray continually, asking the Holy Spirit to “empty/cleanse me; fill/guide us; strengthen/protect/unify us,” and also praying the Our Father and the modified Prayer of Jabez.
2. Pray the complete “Praying God’s Word” prayer, and also try using portions of the prayer as appropriate. Try praying the prayer with your spouse or a group of believers. Underline or circle whatever you think God is pointing out to you as an area where you particularly need His help.
Scripture Memory Verse
I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil 1:6)