Yesterday our focus was a high view of Jabez and his prayer. Short and to the point. Today we will focus on “A Touch of Greatness.” You might be thinking this is certainly not directed at you especially if you consider yourself, as I do, a small plain ole ordinary person.
We will once again take a look at these same two crucial versus:
I Chronicles 4:9-10
9-10 Jabez was a better man than his brothers, a man of honor. His mother had named him Jabez (Oh, the pain!), saying, “A painful birth! I bore him in great pain!” Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don’t let evil hurt me.” God gave him what he asked.
What Does This Have to Do with Jabez?
- Just an ordinary person
- A seemingly unspiritual and immature prayer, “God, bless me!”
- What God wants?
- God’s nature (to bless)
- Daring to ask
- Making an impact
- The Spirit-led life
- A Jabez appointment
A Touch of Greatness
So what does it mean to have “A touch of Greatness?” I believe that when Jabez said, “Bless me indeed,” that it means, “that His (God’s) hand would be with me!”
Ever been in THAT valley? In the classroom training we do with new business owners, we talk about that valley – it’s a lonely place. The norm would be that it seems nothing is going right. You have ungrateful employees and customers, or you can’t seem to grow your business or get the job done right. You feel all you are doing is putting fires out. It’s all so out of control. Now you feel like Lucille Ball on the assembly line.
😊 Whatever the case, you feel you are in the middle of overwhelming circumstances.
The Valley of the Shadow of Death
The valley (overwhelming circumstances) is when you are ‘descending’ out of power, out of control:
- Now you feel like the wrong person for the job.
- You question why you ever bought this business or took this job.
- Now things truly are out of your control.
Perfect! Now that you can no longer do it you have to allow God to work. This is where you are feeling what we call dependence. You are finally walking with Jesus, with Him in full control. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that God didn’t give you the gifts, strengths, skills, and abilities to do what you’ve done up to this point.
Let Go and Let God
You took it to 211 degrees, but 212 degrees is where you have to let go and let God. The Hand of God is the power of God. In other words, the filling and leading of the Holy Spirit. This is God, fulfilling His business, His job, His work, through you.
Are you attempting something large enough that it is guaranteed to fail unless God steps in? For someone, taking on something large enough might be taking that challenging job. Or it could be simply stepping out and starting a business. For someone else, it might be getting the business to that 5 or 10 million mark in revenue.
Wilkinson describes a real hero as an ordinary person that allows God’s hand to literally work through them beyond what they can do on their own strength. It’s not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit! Dependence is an unforgettable experience of completeness from our sufficiency of God.
Challenge for today – Ask for a touch of the Master’s hand in your job and/or your business. So be it!
