Grantor~

Greetings from rainy Miami~

There's just one little phrase left to our verse, and it is the most important one.

1 Chronicles 4:10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request. 

Someone once said that the value of prayer is that God answers it, and we see that it was true for Jabez.  

God is the great Answerer!  But allow me to ask a rhetorical question: Can God answer a prayer that has not been prayed?

There is so much emphasis in the Bible on asking, seeking, knocking, persevering, persisting, petitioning, etc...that we can only conclude that God desires a relationship with us that thrives through prayer.  Prayer is a lovely word for communication.  

The foundation for any great relationship is communication.  Think about your relationships.  They are either thriving because the communication is solid or frustrating you because there is mis-communication or a lack of understanding or even an atmosphere where you feel you can not speak freely.

How can we get to know God if we do not speak to Him?  How will we ever "be able to take in the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God,"

(Ephesians 3:18 THE MESSAGE) if we keep Him at a distance.  Not only does God desire for us to reach out to Him, we are the ones who need Him more than He needs us.  We forfeit peace, joy, and hope when we fail to plug into the One Who so freely gives us all these things and more.

Whatever ails you right now, take a moment to turn it over to Him in prayer.  Take a huge and bold step of faith and let us pray.

PRAYER: Dear God, Thank You that You answer prayers.  We don't know what holds us back sometimes from asking, but we come to You today with renewed hope that You are the Grantor of requests.  It's a powerful mystery why You would even listen to us, and maybe we don't fully understand how this all works.  But we do know Who You are, and You answer prayer.  You let the blessings flow when we put our trust in You.  You scoop us up in Your arms and cradle us when we need help.  You love us and love listening to us and love answering us.  Amen and Glory!