Feeling Jabez-y

A few years ago, I picked up a little book at the Dollar Store called The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson. I came home, read it in a few days, and went back to buy 20 more, just in case someone else wanted to read it. (I still have a few...)

We sometimes get the feeling that to ask for more blessings is unchristian, greedy even. We are supposed to be satisfied with whatever God provides and thank Him profusely for it... the good, the bad, and  the ugly. To define the word blessing, here is what Wilkinson has to say:

To bless in the biblical sense means to ask for or to impart supernatural favor. When we ask for God's blessing, we're not asking for more of what we could get for ourselves.

I have picked up my Jabez book again, because I am dreaming of big things, God-sized things, and need to get my mind back to a place of recognizing that I do not serve a meager God, a God hoping He has enough to go around. I serve a God of limitless possibility, a God who can feed 5,000 with a few loaves of bread and a couple fish and still have leftovers,  and to be frank, I want in. I want to be part of what God is doing, wherever He is doing it. I want in.

We are in a time that cries out for hope. Social programs and throwing dollars at problems only go so far. People need the transforming power of Jesus Christ in their lives, the power that opens the eyes of the blind and heals nations. We need that Hope for our city and I am believing God for it.

I took my boys to play on the school playground tonight where "Little Isaac" is attending, and walked the borders of the blacktop praying for light to come into that darkness, for the playground to be a place of safety and joy, for the teachers doing the best they can in an overwhelming situation, and for the new principal to create an environment of unity there. I prayed the "Jabez prayer", that God would bless us indeed there, that He would expand my influence there for Him, that His Hand would be upon me, working through me to make a difference for Him. I have been doing my best to trust Him all along on this journey, sitting in the dugout, waiting. Tonight I feel like I stepped onto the playing field.

When I got home, I opened my Jabez book to continue reading, and here is what I read:

Like any loving dad at the playground, God is watching and waiting for you to ask for the supernatural power He offers.

Oh. My. Word. And if that weren't enough, it was followed by one of my favorite go-to scriptures: "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are turned towards Him. (2 Chronicles 16:9)"

Greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done, in this city. Expect it, and stay tuned.

What are you believing God for? Is it big enough to need His help, His blessing? If it's something you can do yourself, alongside God, instead of Him working through you, it's time to dream bigger. Greater things are yet to come...