Words can determine your destiny

In 1 Chronicles 4: 9-10, I read about a man named Jabez. Weighed down by the sorrows of his past and the uncertainties of the present, Jabez could have only seen impossibilities before him.

In 1 Chronicles 4: 9-10, I read about a man named Jabez. Weighed down by the sorrows of his past and the uncertainties of the present, Jabez could have only seen impossibilities before him. His future didn’t look bright. Yet, Jabez was not satisfied with the status quo or living a mediocre existence. Jabez wanted the fullness of God’s blessings to enrich every area of his life. So, Jabez looked to God and earnestly prayed, asking for God’s best:

“...Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!”

Regardless of what transpired previously, Jabez was confident enough to ask God to, “Bless him and to enlarge his territory.” He wanted, “God’s hand to be with him,” and for “God to keep him from evil.”

God heard Jabez’s prayer and answered him by giving Jabez all the things for which he prayed. Jabez broke free of the chains of the past, and he stepped forward into a new life. For the Scripture tells us, “God granted him that which he requested.”

You may have had your share of obstacles and disappointments that have pushed you to the breaking point. Perhaps, you think, ‘it’s too late, circumstances will never change,’ or ‘things won’t get better.’ Otherwise, because of an unfair situation, you’ve started to talk yourself out of following your God-inspired dreams, settling for far less than you deserve.

However, like Jabez, have you ever asked God to do something amazing in your future? And if you knew that He would grant your request, what would you ask? Words can determine your destiny.

I heard it said, “When you work, you work… but when you pray, God works.” Similar to tuning a radio dial to a powerful broadcasting station, prayer is your open line to God. So, seek God’s blessings on your life. God is continuously with you, and your connection to Him is always available. A while ago, my daughter asked me to help her with her English homework. Being a writer, my daughter knew I was best equipped to answer her questions. When you need help, you always go to the person who you’re sure is capable of helping, right? Now, if God could create the heavens and the earth, He can surely respond to your bold requests. God is not limited as to what He can do. He is all powerful and can do all things. Hence, keep praying, believing, and striving; pursuing God’s direction, wisdom and will.

Right now, God is at work. Miracles are being set into motion, and the best possible outworking is going to emerge in your situation. For God is saying to you today, “Keep calm; it’s in My Hands.” For, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15).

I’m reminded of a correspondence I received from a reader who wrote, “I sat alone in my small, rented apartment. I had just lost my job, I lost my parents a few years before, and with no money, no prospects, and no one to rely on, and some limitations, outwardly it looked as though I had no hope.”