Standing Out and Making a Difference

January 6, 2025

There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NLT

Have you ever met anyone whose favorite book of the Bible was 1 Chronicles? No? Me neither. Talk about a slow start. The first nine chapters of the book are all genealogies, family trees, long lists of names from Adam forward to the time of Benjamin, covering several thousand years. By the time you hit chapter four, your eyes are pretty well glazed over. Usually, the only reason anyone reads these chapters is if they are doing it from a commitment to read the Bible all the way through.

But if you do read it, right in the middle of the seemingly endless list of nothing but names, two verses jump off the page and grab our attention. Before those verses, just names. After those verses, just names. But these two verses highlight a man who stands out in a crowd. He gets God’s attention, so he deserves ours as well.

I have pondered why this ordinary man got this specialized attention. To be truthful, I read the Bible through numerous times before non-flashy, easily overlooked Jabez even caught my eye. Numerous other names were at least familiar to me because I had heard of their exploits, both good and not so good. Here we just see their names. Why did God seem to make certain that in this amazing roll call of humanity Jabez was spotlighted?

Maybe because God wanted all of us “ordinary people” to see we can stand out in a crowd as we wake up to our opportunities and place in God’s plans and purposes. Jabez got a rough start. His was a difficult birth, and apparently his mother didn’t want him to forget it. Some mothers continually repeat the story of a hard birth; she named him for it. His name means, “he makes sorrowful,” or “he is a pain.” Seriously. She limited his life by the things she said to and about him. She created an identity difficult to overcome. But Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. Despite the criticism, confusion, and limitations of his circumstances, he grabbed a vision to live in God’s presence in all ways and have that impact every part of his life.

God answered his request. We don’t know how God used him, but it must have been good. He’s the only guy in hundreds whose name was mentioned with a commendation and story. We are still talking about him and his two-verse biography today.

• No matter your limitations, grab a vision. What might God do if you wanted to know Him better in order to serve Him more effectively? Ask Him. Pray first.