Jabez's Prayer

Jabez's Prayer

By Jonathan Aquino

Saturday Stories

August 17, 2019

I

If there is a song that would sum up my life, it would be from Barry Manilow:

"I made it through the rain,

I kept my world protected,

I made it though the rain,

I kept my point of view,

I made it through the rain

and found myself respected

by the others who

got rained on too

and made it through..."

It sounds corny but it's true. There's actually another song that's perfect, from Tiffany:

"All this time, 

all in all, I've no regrets,

the sun still shines, the sun still sets, 

and the heart forgives, the heart forgets..."

II

At this point in my life, I now know there is a God, and I thank God for all the many wonderful things He showered in my life, and that belief has come to the point of knowing. Yet I still have moments that I don't like, and sometimes I can feel peace in the middle of chaos, but sometimes I don't. But it's okay because that's what it's like to be human.

III

I pray but I'm not a religious person; I meditate but I don't think of myself as spiritual. I have also noticed that my faith does not shield me from the negative things that I've attracted, which is my own responsibility because our thoughts become things. But after all is said and done, my life has been so blessed, but "I had my share of life's ups and downs," like in the song by Gladys Knight and The Pips. And though I never suffered, I still know how it feels to reach for help.

IV

That is why I'm intrigued by a simple man named Jabez who lived during the Old Testament era. In 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, it says that "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, 'I gave birth to him in pain.' 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." In his bestselling classic "The Prayer of Jabez," the author Bruce Wilkinson, who had prayed his prayer everyday his entire life, says: "I want to introduce you to the amazing truths in Jabez's prayer for blessing and prepare you to expect God's astounding answers to it as a regular part of your life."

I Made It Through The Rain

Barry Manilow

All This Time

Tiffany

Photo courtesy of RandomHouse