Enlarge My Territory
I once taught a bible study on the “Prayer of Jabez,” found in 1 Chronicles 4:10. It was a long time ago, but I still have that seemingly little prayer embedded in my brain and occasionally find myself praying it again: “Oh Lord, that you would bless me indeed; that you would enlarge my territory. That your hand would be upon me, and you would keep me from harm, so I would not cause pain.” That prayer concludes with a powerful response, “and God granted his request.”
I had no idea what I was thinking when I asked for God to enlarge my territory; it just seemed like an admirable goal. I should have reminded myself of Isaiah 55: 8-9 which says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. I learned the validity of this verse the hard way, yet I still find myself giving God suggestions on how He should answer my prayers. (Sigh)!
I realize now that God methodically interrupts, course corrects and realigns our expectations. Sometimes the dreams are bigger than the plan; and sometimes the plan is bigger than the dream. Only God knows what individualized plan He has for enlarging our territory.
Henry Blackaby says, “God is interested in the world coming to know Him. The only way people will know Him is when they see Him at work. Whenever God involves you in His activity, the assignment will have God-like dimensions to it. … The kind of assignments God gives are always beyond what people can do because He wants to demonstrate His nature, His strength, His provision, and His kindness to His people and to a watching world. That is the only way the world will come to know Him…”
Jesus’ heart encompassed the entire world, and it pleases Him when we tap into that same motivation of reaching out and touching others for His purpose. It looks different for each of us.
In 1931, a young man decided to pray two hours a day every morning for forty days before he went to work. He would lay on his face before God in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. And God ultimately extended his spiritual influence on every state in the United States; and then he began asking for continents.
God heard his cry, by the beginning of WW II, his organization named The Navigators, raised up key men for every ship in the Navy. This man’s name was Dawson Trotman, a few years later, he died saving someone from drowning. At his funeral, Billy Graham said, “I think he touched more lives than any man I have ever known.”
It was his early demise that had me wondering about “his enlarged territory.” And yet God’s plans know the beginning and the end of our mission.
There are numerous ways, that God chooses to use us as His vessels. It is His plan not ours and that is why we should pray, “Thy will be done.”
I could never imagine that visiting a child at a mental health institution, or sitting in a funeral home, or one day standing in a prison line would all be answers to me praying this prayer, Oh Lord God, enlarge my territory. But it was.
It was in those hard places that my prayer life grew and my reliance on God became more than a crutch but a direct intimate knowledge of Him carrying me every step of the way. During those times, my ear was attuned to the shepherd’s voice. I experienced His unwavering faithfulness and was unashamed to share it with others journeying on the same road.
What new ground is God placing in your hands? Is it just to see your children doing well—but at no kingdom cost? Is it representing Him unashamedly in your workplace? Is it going and ministering to people or places where you are not comfortable to be? Is it a road of your choosing or His plan?
So, if you dare…. ask God to “enlarge your territory,” then hold onto Him with all that you have.
