Uni-verse 149/10,000 For better through verse I Chronicles 4 v 10
1Ch 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
Our journey might begin in pain like Jabez but it need not continue through pain and end in pain. Like Jabez, we must collect all the pain in our life and cry out to the Lord ,"Turn all my pain into gain for the Kingdom of God." Our pain becomes an investment we make into the Kingdom of God and God returns it with the interest of blessings from His hand. Pain can make a man better or bitter. When we cry out to the Lord, He will turn it into something better like the Master's wine at Cana. So much so , we will say, " Lord, thanks for turning my pain into a source of blessing for others and me."
The Lord in His great compassion will hear our cry of faith and not of despair. He will open HIs hand upon us and enlarge our land. Enlarging our land means increasing our area of influence, augmenting our resources, enhancing our impact, adding more souls to the Kingdom through our testimony of triumph over trauma. One of the persons who delights in reading the Uni-verse series of meditations wrote in yesterday from Africa saying, that his territory or his boundaries have been expanded in that he used to read only a few verses earlier but now his appetite has been whetted and he goes on to read whole chapters and books in the Bible. The Lord will also keep HIs part of the covenant in keeping us from further evil that would grieve our hearts. He will allow sorrow but not grief- sorrow is caused by pain that we eventually overcome while grief is sorrow that overcomes us. In sorrow , we end it. In grief, it ends us. This part of Jabez's prayer relates to the blessings of peace- the proteciion from pain, evil and curses that we deserve. The next part of the prayer relates to grace- the Lord will grant what we request that we do not deserve. It is a sign of God's continual favour on and in our lives.
In the context of the gospel and the Great Commission, we must pray, " Lord, use me to enlarge your territory. " His territory means not land but the adding of souls to the Kingdom of God where He not just reigns but rules on a moment to moment basis. We must experience God's sovereignty in our lives much as suzerains or kings exercise aiuthority or sovereignty over their territory. The idea of territorial sovereignty enables us to understand that God does not exercise sovereignty over the territory of Satan- all souls who have chosen not to acknowledge Him as their Lord and Saviour. Though the gates of Hell cannot prevail against God, He does not exercise this authority over such souls as it will be like an intrusion into land that we do not own. But, He does so only in response to the faithful prayers of His own people. Hence, prayer extends the sovereignty of God to all who are not saved. Territory also implies enabling God to partner with us in our professions or our life's calling. In the month of March, this year, I had joined several others in praying in repentance for our nation and our city. We met early one morning before sunrise at St Thomas Mount to repent for the murder of St Thomas at that very place. Before the month was over, the Lord turned the eye of the Founder of Global Media Mission, a lady from Finland to chose Chennai to launch a campaign called Power to Change in all media, print, electronic, website and wall posters on buses and three wheelers and in locations throughout the city. My own testimony was also published in a book that was sent out to thousands who called in. See how instantaneously in time and space, God had answered our cry in using us to enlarge His territory. Recently, in a time of prophetic prayer, the Lord revealed," My son, you are a Jabez. You were born crippled but your parents, especially your father cried out to me and I healed your pain.." To think of it, I never even knew that I was born in pain. Truly, faith is the most powerful anaesthesia.
http://www.facebook.com/powertochangeindia?sk=wall&filter=2
Power To Change India
http://youtu.be/ZghpzPVCAe0
Prateep V Philip
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