In 1 Chronicles, the Bible tells us about a man named Jabez. The first nine chapters consist of genealogies, listing more than six hundred names. And right there in the middle of all those names, God singles out one man for special recognition, and his name is Jabez. There are only two verses in the entire Bible about Jabez, yet he’s given more of a mention than the six hundred other people listed in the chapter. The Bible says: ‘Now Jabez was more honourable than his brothers’ (v.9 NKJV). There are a number of reasons why he was seen as more honourable. Firstly, he dared to ask and believe God for great things. ‘Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, that You would enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.’ Sometimes we can find it difficult to ask God for big things. Maybe we’ve faced a lot of disappointment in our lives and we don’t believe great things can happen for us. Maybe we struggle to even think of big things to ask God for. But God wants us to ask Him for great things. And He doesn’t just want us to ask, He wants us to ask expectantly. We need to ask believing that for God, nothing is impossible. Paul tells us that God ‘is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us’ (Ephesians 3:20 NIV). We shouldn’t put our human limitations on Him. We can’t out-ask or out-dream God.

What Now?

Have you got something big to ask God for? Ask Him today, knowing that nothing is impossible for Him.