"Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play…it is war minus the shooting."
Prayer of Jabez
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, ‘Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:10I recently wrote in a self-profile that I love applying Scripture to sport but that I was still struggling with “The first shall be last and the last shall be first!” The prayer of Jabez may represent a challenge too!
So much has been written on the prayer and it has been used so many times – often totally out of context! What can we take from it?
Jabez’s prayer to be free from pain has clearly nothing to do with sport! In Monaco this year I attended a press conference of 400 metre runners and the pain of the event was a major theme! What the verses remind me is:
1 We are in God’s hand and that it is God who is in control. A simple prayer “Let your hand be with me” acknowledges our need of God
2 “Keep me from harm” is a simple prayer for protection - on travel, on health and in life.
3 “Enlarge my territory” should not be prayed in a selfish way like “Make me more successful…make me world champion” but sometimes we need God to enlarge our vision and to help us see beyond ourselves, to see areas where we can serve and help others.
4 The final phrase reminds us that God answers prayer.