What Jabez Says About Your Future

Have you ever considered the meaning of your name? Chances are that you haven't. But, most names carry a certain meaning.

For instance, I looked up my name, and found that in the Irish it means "handsome." It also means "narrow land," which I'm not sure what that really means other than maybe some Kyle from the past got ripped off in a land deal.

If you've ever read the geneologies in the Bible, you are going to encounter some very strange names. Most of these names carry a special meaning. Sometimes we are told that a child is given a name to represent something going on in the parents' lives at the time of birth. Other times, the name represents what the parent hopes for their child. We find similar in the story of Jabez.

Jabez only gets two verses of scripture, but those two verses speak volumes. When Jabez's mom was giving birth, the Bible records that it must have been one painful birth, because Jabez is similar to the Hebrew word for pain.

Can you imagine growing up as a kid, and anyone who met you called you Pain? That would be pretty cool if you were an ultimate fighter, but I don't think they had UFC back in the ancient middle east.

So, here you have Jabez, living life, and everyone knows that he had a painful past. That can be an overwhelming weight to carry.

But, Jabez's life didn't consist of pain. The Bible tells us that he was honorable. He feared God. And, at some point in his life, he prayed what today is best known as the Prayer of Jabez.

There are a lot of good nuggets in this prayer, but what I picked out of this was the last line where Jabez asks God to "keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" Jabez's past was defined by pain, but he refused to let pain define his future.

It is common for us to let our past define who we are. Usually, it's our failures that reign supreme. Our past drags us into a repetitive, self-fulfilling prophecy of destruction and failure.

But, Jabez's story says there is an alternative. You don't have to be defined by your past mistakes. There is life and hope and a future for those who believe in Jesus. He is the alternative to a life of dispair. It is Jesus who will help you overcome your past and realize your true potential as God intended.

What part of your past is still dragging you down? What do you need to turn over to Jesus?