Jabez: From Pain to Blessing

Buried in the middle of a long genealogy in 1 Chronicles, we encounter a surprising interruption—two verses that shine like a beacon of hope in an otherwise monotonous list of names:

“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’ Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!’ And God granted what he asked.”

—1 Chronicles 4:9–10 (ESV)

A Name Marked by Pain

From the moment of his birth, Jabez’s life was marked by pain. His very name, Jabez, was tied to his mother’s sorrow. In Hebrew culture, names carried meaning, often shaping a person’s destiny. To be branded “pain” from birth meant he carried the weight of someone else’s hardship on his identity.

Yet Jabez dared to believe his future didn’t have to look like his past.

A Bold Prayer of Faith

In the middle of his pain-filled history, Jabez prayed a prayer of audacious faith. He didn’t settle for a destiny of hurt or victimhood. He cried out:

• Bless me. He dared to believe God wanted more for him than what his name or past declared.
• Enlarge my border. He wasn’t asking for selfish gain, but for greater territory of influence, stewardship, and fruitfulness.
• Be with me. He knew blessing without God’s presence would never satisfy.
• Keep me from harm and pain. Interestingly, the Hebrew words here (ra‘ for harm and ʿāṣaḇ for pain) carry the sense of evil, adversity, grief, sorrow, and trauma. Jabez’s prayer wasn’t naïve, he knew pain is inevitable in this broken world. His plea was not only “keep me from it,” but also “keep me in the midst of it” so pain would not define or destroy him.

And the stunning conclusion? “God granted what he asked.”

Rereading Jabez With Fresh Eyes

I have read the popular book The Prayer of Jabez, and it shaped how many of us thought about this prayer. Yet as I was reading Scripture again, this verse struck me differently. It wasn’t just about asking God for more, it was about asking Him to transform the cycle of pain and rewrite a destiny. It became less about a formula and more about an honest cry from a heart that refused to be defined by hurt.

Pain Is Real, but It’s Not the End

All of us carry pain, whether from rejection, trauma, betrayal, abuse, or disappointment. Pain tempts us toward bitterness and victimhood. But like Jabez, we can cry out to God and believe that His blessing lifts us above cycles of hurt.

The blessing of the Lord doesn’t mean the absence of trouble, it means His sustaining presence in the midst of it. It means cycles of pain don’t have to be the last word over our lives.

The Greater Purpose of Blessing

Psalm 67 reminds us of the purpose of blessing:

“that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.” (v. 2)

Blessing is never just about us. Jabez’s story shows that God’s goodness breaks into lives scarred by pain so that His power and mercy can be displayed.

The Takeaway

Your name, your past, or your pain does not have the final say. God does.
Like Jabez, you can pray boldly: “Lord, bless me, enlarge my influence, keep me close, and guard me from being defined by pain.”

And just as He did for Jabez, God delights to answer.