Scriptures You Can Pray for Guidanceনমুনা

Keep Me from Evil

Have you ever worried that a choice someone else made on your behalf might impact your life in a negative way? Perhaps you have a specific concern about your life because of the choices you have seen occur through the generations of your family. You can ask God to protect you, just as Jabez did.

In ancient Jewish culture, names were a big deal. They were often connected to a description of how the child came into the world. Names could also communicate a parent’s hopes for a child or even feelings about the newborn baby’s personality. God sometimes named or renamed people in Scripture to communicate a message about Himself or His purpose for their life.

The brief story of Jabez’s life and prayer appears in a list of names of the male descendants of Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Jabez’s name in Hebrew means “he causes pain,” so he apparently was named by his mother after an especially painful childbirth. The man must have been somewhat dismayed that his mother named him Pain.

So when Jabez went to the Lord in prayer, he asked God to bless him. Jabez asked for God’s care and attention. He asked the Lord to give him land so that he could make a living. Then, Jabez asked God to keep him from harm—to keep pain far from him. In four ways, Jabez asked God to guide him in a way that would keep him from his very namesake, pain. He was an honorable man who went to the Lord with his anxiety. Jabez asked God to do good to him, and God granted his request.

If you are worried or feeling burdened by something in your life, Jesus promises to give you rest. You can go to Him and find comfort, blessing, and direction for your life.

Pray: Jesus, I praise You for You are gentle and humble in heart. I am weary and heavy-laden, but I know You will give me rest. Your burden is light. Help me, please, to be honorable before You. I ask that You bless me in life and in work and with my family. Please provide for me and those I love and keep me from harm and from pain.