23rd.: Jabez
Some prayers come from obscure characters buried in the middle of endless genealogies.
One such prayer can be found in 1st Chronicles 4:9-10:
“And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren. And his mother called his name Jabez saying, ‘Because I bare him in sorrow.’ And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that thou would bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou would keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!’ And God granted him that which he requested.”
Jabez asked for only three things:
1) Enlarge his coast, that is to say, make him wealthier.
2) Let God’s hand be with him, presumably to protect him.
3) Keep him from getting in trouble, because he knew that he was prone to sinning, in the ways common to men. And he did not want to add any more ‘sorrow’ to anyone, especially himself.
We don't know exactly 'how' God fulfilled these requests.
Yet, the Bible tells us that God did grant those requests.
The key point is that we are to put our trust in the Lord.
Jabez did. And God blessed him.
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” 2nd Chr. 16:9. KJV