Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 10 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 10 Dec 2007

1 Chronicles 4: 9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. Can you imagine being named Jabez by your own mother, because when she gave birth to you she was in pain? Just picturing Jabez as a child, living with that name, it is so sad. The sense of not being loved by your own mother, the sense of being a failure, useless, and not wanted is all packaged at such a young age. Some of us reading this today might have felt unwanted at birth as well. Being an orphan, having parents that are divorced, having parents that aren’t there for you, and even being born out of wedlock. The bitterness is still there, the pain is still there, it is just that we mask our hurt to the world. Let this story of Jabez be a source of encouragement to all of us. As he “CRIED” out to God, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. Today, let us all pray and cry out to God our deepest prayers, search deep inside us, and if there is still un-forgiveness, hurt, let it all go. © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee