No More Pain

In a long list of names given in 1 Chronicles 4, there are two verses that stand out giving us some information about a man named Jabez.  Vs. 9 says, Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, 'Because I bore him in pain.'"  The word Jabez literally means, "He will cause pain."  The birth of Jabez caused his mother pain and sorrow.  Now he bears the name Jabez as a continual reminder of who he is.  Every time he hears his name, he hears pain.  He realizes that his life caused pain from the very beginning.  He has lived with it all his life.  He comes to a place in his life where he wants change from this identity.  Vs. 10 says, "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."  Jabez comes to God with his life, and asked for five things:  Bless me, enlarge my territory, let Your hand be with me, keep me from evil, and that I may not cause pain.  Jabez wants a change in his life.  He could have went through life with pain, but by crying out to God, he found out that he didn't have to live with the pain anymore.  He didn't want to cause pain for anyone anymore.  This was true repentance, a real turn around in his life.  Sometimes we say, "Hurt people, hurt people."  But this would not be the life of Jabez anymore.  He brought his hurt to God, and received the blessing he needed, so he would not hurt people anymore.  Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows.  He took our sicknesses and diseases.  By His stripes we were healed.  He opened the door for us to bring our hurts to Him.  He invites us to bring our pain to Him, that he would be healed.  He wants to bless us like Jabez.  He wants to enlarge us, and bless us, and be with us, and keep us from evil, so we don't cause pain anymore.  Let us pray the prayer of Jabez over our lives, and watch God bring healing and blessing into our lives!

Where is there pain today that God wants to heal?