Enlarging Your Territory Beyond Jabez’s Prayer by Jasmine Gatti

Enlarging Your Territory

by Jasmine Gatti

“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”

(1 Chronicles 4:10, ESV).

At the turn of the millennium, Jabez’s prayer gained widespread attention. Ancient cultures measured prosperity by the amount of property a person owned. Houses and land represented security and power, as in Psalm 105:43-44.  Modern cultures have sought security and power from a similar paradigm when invoking Jabez’s prayer to claim increased possessions.

I once thought Jabez’s prayer directed me to pursue courageous acts of accumulating land. The more, the better. I had an interest in real estate. In my twenties, I procured a license to sell or buy But I now think there’s more to the prayer than accumulating wealth.

What if this verse about an expanded territory is not about real estate, moving to a new country, accepting a new job, or even writing a book? What if that enlargement is an intangible estate bringing you toward God, to his territory where he delights in you and crafts you to bear your full identity in his image? “He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me; because he delighted in me” (Psalms 18:19, ESV).

He who sees you as an individual with precious features and abilities different from others, sees you as his child. God desires to draw you closer to him in a relationship. How might our prayers lead us to step into this intimate space?

The Lord may already have responded to your petitions with answers that fortify your faith: saved your life from cancer or reunited us with an estranged child. But some of our requests may remain unfulfilled—like a work left unpublished. Are you running from him, cradling bitterness and hurt? Can you still go to this enlarged place with your disappointments? Yes, he wants us to share our most intimate thoughts and disappointments with him.

Entry into this enlarged territory requires no visa, passport, or down payment. Jesus has secured our entry validation in a heavenly virtual place where he identifies you as a citizen, owner and heir.

Father, I come before you cleansed through Jesus and sit close to you. Here I am in this enlarged place with you. You see me. You lead me. I am secure. You teach me the unimaginable and show me how you are sufficient for me. Amen.

Jasmine C. Gatti is an author of lay and technical articles, hospice clinician, and speaker about caregiving and medicine (churches, care facilities, panels). She was educated at Johns Hopkins University and Georgetown U. School of Medicine.  She lives in Maryland as a caregiver for parents, children, dogs, and her husband’s family. Her website: Writeinstantly.org