strongnrelaxed Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 From the Old Testament passage 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, saying, "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. " So god grants requests to "enlarge my territory". Thoughts? Link to post Share on other sites
Lobouspo Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 I have heard some awesome testimonies regarding people who recite this prayer. My only issue is alot of folks who promulgate this are prosperity gospel adherents who I have a bit of problem with. Now having said that, I think it is a beautiful prayer. I think God can enlarge our boundaries in many ways not necessarily just materially but spiritually as well. 4 Link to post Share on other sites
BetheButterfly Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 (edited) From the Old Testament passage 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, saying, "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. " So god grants requests to "enlarge my territory". Thoughts? God grants many requests. He also allows people to go through trials. For example, Job endured horrible trials, including his (adult?) children dying which doesn't seem fair at all. However, God blessed him again after the trials, and gave him more children afterwards. (Sometimes I wonder if God "reincarnated" Job's children who were dead, but the Bible doesn't teach reincarnation. It is a mystery how a soul/spirit is tied to a human body as well as when that happens.) By the way, I am curious. Do you believe that humans have souls/spirits? Or, do you just think that a human is only physical (only what can be studied through anatomy and dissecting the body)? What is important to remember when studying the Bible is that it is based on the accounts of people who believed in God's Divine will. They truly considered God to exist and to be active in their lives. They also considered God's commands to be rules they needed to live by, or else. The Bible is filled with accounts of people being obedient or disobedient to God. People endured trials and temptations, some passing with flying colors, like Joseph when he was tempted by Potiphar's wife though he was put into prison (Genesis 39) and some who did not pass very well, like Samson (Judges 16). At the end of Samson's life, God granted his request in how he would die, killing the enemies of his people who had also taken out his eyes. Most people who believe the Bible is true consider God granting requests to be only if it is in His will to do so. Sometimes God says yes, sometimes no, sometimes later. One thing that people who believe in Him learn (which I am learning too) is that God's will includes people to obey Him, not just asking for things and expect to be blessed. Asking for things from God also includes accepting "No" if it is not God's will. For example, when Jesus was praying that the "cup" (what he was going to do) be taken from him (Mark 14:36), he already knew that his request was not in God's will. His request was denied, which didn't surprise him any but it did hurt him. Being crucified wasn't considered a pleasant experience. Also, the spiritual aspect of him "carrying" the sins of the world and being separated from God (Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:46, Isaiah 53) was also not a pleasant experience for him. Edited September 22, 2012 by BetheButterfly 2 Link to post Share on other sites
mercy Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 He hears our prayers, demanding that He answer them is prideful. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Author strongnrelaxed Posted September 22, 2012 Author Share Posted September 22, 2012 God grants many requests. He also allows people to go through trials. For example, Job endured horrible trials, including his (adult?) children dying which doesn't seem fair at all. However, God blessed him again after the trials, and gave him more children afterwards. (Sometimes I wonder if God "reincarnated" Job's children who were dead, but the Bible doesn't teach reincarnation. It is a mystery how a soul/spirit is tied to a human body as well as when that happens.) By the way, I am curious. Do you believe that humans have souls/spirits? Or, do you just think that a human is only physical (only what can be studied through anatomy and dissecting the body)? What is important to remember when studying the Bible is that it is based on the accounts of people who believed in God's Divine will. They truly considered God to exist and to be active in their lives. They also considered God's commands to be rules they needed to live by, or else. The Bible is filled with accounts of people being obedient or disobedient to God. People endured trials and temptations, some passing with flying colors, like Joseph when he was tempted by Potiphar's wife though he was put into prison (Genesis 39) and some who did not pass very well, like Samson (Judges 16). At the end of Samson's life, God granted his request in how he would die, killing the enemies of his people who had also taken out his eyes. Most people who believe the Bible is true consider God granting requests to be only if it is in His will to do so. Sometimes God says yes, sometimes no, sometimes later. One thing that people who believe in Him learn (which I am learning too) is that God's will includes people to obey Him, not just asking for things and expect to be blessed. Asking for things from God also includes accepting "No" if it is not God's will. For example, when Jesus was praying that the "cup" (what he was going to do) be taken from him (Mark 14:36), he already knew that his request was not in God's will. His request was denied, which didn't surprise him any but it did hurt him. Being crucified wasn't considered a pleasant experience. Also, the spiritual aspect of him "carrying" the sins of the world and being separated from God (Psalm 22:1, Matthew 27:46, Isaiah 53) was also not a pleasant experience for him. I do not believe that we have no souls, I am certain of it. Until proven wrong, I am going to side with science on this one. The thought of an afterlife of the sort described by most Christians scares the crap out of me frankly. To worship such a cruel and jealous and capricious dictator for all eternity sounds like a torture to me. Link to post Share on other sites
Hawaii50 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 you people scare me. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
TaraMaiden Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 So god grants requests to "enlarge my territory". Thoughts? Is this a euphemism....? Link to post Share on other sites
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