I had an interesting dream last night. It was about the fringe kind of people or those that lurk on the perimeter of my life that even though I have loved them dearly, they have yet gotten close enough to me to smell the scent of shampoo in my hair.
A hard lesson to absorb but Lord here I am!!
The Prayer of Jabez
9 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10And Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only You would bless me and enlarge my territory! May Your hand be with me and keep me from harm, so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted the request of Jabez.
As I mentioned I am utilizing this cry to God from 1 Chronicles 4 again and it appears that I am to learn more and go deeper and to not just look at physical pain.
And yes! the financial blessings have been incredible, including materials to build an insulated shop in the shed. Who doesn’t appreciate the prosperity part right? But with it comes great responsibility such as tithing and making good choices.
I once heard a scenario of “if each person in the world were given - tax free - a gift of 1 million dollars tomorrow that 1 year from tomorrow each persons reality would be exactly the same as it is today. The philosophy of this has impacted most decisions I have made since then.
Anyways then, what The Prayer of Jabez also brings with it is a deeper realization in our contact with others. Yes, we all love to embrace the image of our living, loving, compassionate Jesus but its a rare conversation of His walking away from the horde of those who only looked for the free meal. Not only did Jesus himself walk away from people on occasion, He allowed them to walk away from Him.
It is now more of me handing more of me over to God. Its hard, but it’s an interesting billboard on my path. The now lesser of weighty reality has not affected my scale yet. -Denise
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