Finally, when He is sure that all infection is gone, He will wrap us in a bandage of Himself. He will ooze the oil of the Holy Spirit and the Balm of Gilead to heal our wounds.
A Prayer God Will Answer
Jabez was a man whose past was hurting him. I know that despite the fact that there are only two verses in the whole Bible about him:
And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.A Child Abandoned
And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
(1 Chron. 4:9-10)
Jabez was hurting because he didn't have a father in his life. The clue is that his mother named him. In that culture, a male child was named by his father during the baby's circumcision.
This child's mother named him Jabez, which means "You Have Caused Me Great Pain." We can only imagine what she suffered raising a son alone. How would you like to be raised in a household where your mother called you Jabez?
"Cause Of My Pain, come to supper!"
He grew up to be a man with a problem. His whole life was based on how he hurt other people. That's why when he became an adult, Jabez cried out to God for help.
The Bible says that God granted his request.
Your Past Will Try To Name You
Your past will try to name you too, but you don't have to let the name stick. Your past may have named you Abandoned, Abused or Rejected. No matter how you dress it up or how you sing praises in the congregation, it still hurts.
All of those things are affecting you, and they will continue to affect you until you cry out to God and allow Him to heal the wounds.
When you do, God will grant your request.
Then you can do what Isaiah prophesied, "Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old" (Isa. 43:18). Don't let the devil bring it to your memory anymore. When he tries to condemn you with your past, refuse to even think about it.
Mediate on where God is taking you now. Let yourself become a new creature in Christ Jesus.
You don't have to hurt anymore.
God's love will blast away the pain of your past.
Your fullness of time is now.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Lamont D. McLean was the pastor of Living Faith Christian Center (LFCC), a church currently headquartered in Pennsauken, New Jersey with a congregation of approximately 7,000 members.
