1 Chronicles 4:1–12
The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. Reaiah the son of Shobal fathered Jahath, and Jahath fathered Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites. These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelponi, and Penuel fathered Gedor, and Ezer fathered Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem. Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah; Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. The sons of Helah: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan. Koz fathered Anub, Zobebah, and the clans of Aharhel, the son of Harum. Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked. Chelub, the brother of Shuhah, fathered Mehir, who fathered Eshton. Eshton fathered Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah, the father of Ir-nahash.

“You Can Ask For That”

1 Chronicles 4:9–10
Jabez was more honourable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.

Jabez asked God, and God was not upset about it.

God called Jabez more honourable (notable / admirable) than his brothers, because he asked God.

Encourages our faith because it tells us we have permission to ask God for the desires of our heart.
•We don’t have to passively accept the circumstances we’ve been dealt.
•We don’t have to politely decline opportunities for blessing.
•We don’t have to dial down our aspirations.

We can ask God with confidence and faith.

John 16:24
Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Four things we can ask God for - from the example of Jabez.

1. You can ask God to change your story

His mother called him “Jabez”
•Sorrow
•He causes pains

At some point, faith rises in Jabez’ heart to believe:
•My start in life doesn’t have to define the rest of my life
•Though there have been moments of sorrow, God can cause blessing.

None of us choose our start in life, but we can choose to lift our head and ask God to change our story.

King David wrote in Psalm 30:11
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.

If your past has been marked by pain and sorrow:
•Your future is not fixed.
•Tomorrow is not a foregone conclusion.

You can ask God to change your story.
•Sickness > Health
•Broken relationships > Strong marriage
•Not enough > More than enough
•Chaos > Peace and order

If God turned Jabez’s life from sorrow to blessing, and God can turn tears into dancing – ask Him to change your story.

2. You can ask God to bless you

Some assume that when Jabez asked God to bless him, he was just asking God to bless him with spiritual blessings.

Nothing wrong with those things.But in context, Jabez was asking for land. He was asking God to bless him with property and possessions.

If you want to know what God is like, look to Jesus.

Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

•Clothes, food, sustenance – material things we need for life.
•You have a heavenly Father who sees and knows your needs.
•If He’s happy to feed the birds of the air and clothe the lilies of the field, He’s also pleased to bless your life and provide for your needs!

Jabez calls upon God “Oh, that you would bless me!”

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…”

And to Abraham

Genesis 12:2
… and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

And to Isaac

Genesis 26:12–13
And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him, and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.

Proverbs 10:22
The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, without painful toil for it.

God is not offended when we ask for him to bless our lives.

3. You can ask God for more

Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border…

Same word used in Genesis 1:28 ‘Be fruitful and multiply’
•Increase
•Much
•Many
•More
•Great
•Exceedingly
•Abundance

In one sense, contentment is a good thing where it keeps us from materialism and greed. But in another sense, sometimes contentment becomes containment.

When we ask God for more, it can be motivated by a desire to have more. Or, it can be motivated by a desire to do more.
•If I have a little – my capacity to make a difference is little.
•If I have more – I have more capacity with which to make a difference.

Joshua and Caleb were the only 2 of 12 spies who had faith and went on to possess the land God had promised Israel.

Askah was the daughter of Caleb – and she had that same boldness that her dad had.

Joshua‬ ‭15‬:‭16‬-‭19‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
“And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage. One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?” She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.”

The land Caleb had given to Othniel and Aksah was in the Negev region – which was dry and not ideal.

She urged her husband Othniel – ask Caleb for more!

But Aksah didn’t have that hesitancy, because Caleb was her dad.

When Othniel hesitates, Aksah gets of her donkey and boldly approaches her father.
•“Dad, I need more!”
•“I’m going to need springs of water so that this land can be fruitful and productive.”

She was asking for the practical things she needed so her inheritance could be more fruitful.

So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

Aksah knew, if I ask my Father can give me more!

Why is the account of Aksah included in the book of Joshua?

So that in the generations that followed, the descendants of Othniel and Aksah would know the reason they had what they had is because your grandmother Aksah asked her father for more.

For your life, when you ask your heavenly Father for more, it’s not selfishness, it can unlock capacity that is a blessing to your family line for generations to come!

For our church, when we ask our heavenly Father for more, it’s not empire building, it unlocks capacity that will be a blessing to our church family for generations to come!


4. You can ask God to help you take ground

“Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me…”

This speaks of asking God for His:
•Strength
•Power
•Assistance

Jabez was believing to take ground, to expand his territory, to increase his footprint.
•He could go at it by military conquest
•Sword in hand
•Tread on his foes
•Conquer by force

But Jabez said, “God, I want your hand to be with me.”
•Not all by my own strength
•God, I want your strength at work in my work.

This wasn’t all self-reliance, hustle, grind, sweat of his own brow.
•Jabez had a posture of trusting God for provision
•Not just relying on his own strength

This is a truth that I pray every person in our church realises – that God’s hand can be with you as you go to your place of work.

Yes, we work hard, but it’s not all hustle, grind and self-reliance like it is in the world.

•God’s hand can be with us

•To protect us from harm

•Show us favour

•Empower us to do more than we could on our own.

As we come to make faith pledges and look ahead to the next twelve months, I want us to think this way:

What if God really blessed your life?

What might be possible?

Why don’t you ask God for His hand to be with you, to enlarge your territory, to increase you, multiply you, give you an abundance?

Not just so we can have more, but so that we can do more.

If Jabez had that start in life, but God blessed him, what could God do through your life.

It’s not just about sacrifice, it’s about faith to believe God.