Human beings are the only creatures who stand with both feet planted on the earth and lift their gaze toward the heavens. Unlike animals that crawl on all fours, bound to a horizontal world, humans rise upright-vertical beings whose eyes are drawn to what is higher. And at the end of that gaze, who is there? The Creator, God Himself. Therefore, prayer is not merely an act of wishing for something. It is the holiest gesture by which we affirm that though we came from dust, we belong to heaven; it is the instinctive breath of the soul.
In the midst of the genealogies of Scripture-between countless names of kings and commanders-we encounter one unfamiliar name: "Jabez." In the lineage of the tribe of Judah recorded in 1 Chronicles 4, this figure suddenly arrests our attention and leaves a deep resonance within us. Through his preaching, Pastor David Jang (Olivet University) unfolds the vast spiritual mystery hidden in this brief record. The name "Jabez" means "pain" and "sorrow." How great must the labor and agony of childbirth have been for his mother to name her newborn "Pain"? Each time someone called him, it was as though they were shouting, "Pain, come here!" His life began submerged in the abyss of tragedy. Yet the Bible calls him "more honorable than his brothers." This paradox-pain transformed into honor-was centered on one thing: prayer.
A Fervent Cry of the Soul Standing Upright Toward Heaven
One cannot help but recall the masterpiece Praying Hands (Betende Hände) by the German artist Albrecht Dürer. Those hands-rough, weathered, veins raised-are not the elegant hands of a comfortable nobleman. They are the hands of one who refused to avoid harsh labor so that a friend might fulfill his dream of becoming an artist-hands distorted by sacrifice. And yet the spiritual sublimity formed by those folded hands still moves hearts centuries later. Such was the prayer of Jabez. His prayer was not a poem recited from the safety of a quiet study. It was a desperate cry-like grasping a rope for survival-in the middle of pitch-black darkness and a sea of affliction, clinging to God with all he had.
Pastor David Jang cites the confession of the writer of Hebrews, emphasizing that the essence of faith is to believe "that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him." Human beings possess a cool head (reason) and a warm heart (conscience). Reason recognizes that God is, and conscience testifies to His law. But the heart darkened by sin fails to see this evident truth. Jabez pierced through that darkness and saw God. Beyond his miserable reality, he trusted the heavenly Father who responds to those who ask with what is best. It was the kind of earnest, persistent "bold" prayer portrayed in the parable in Luke-like the man who goes to borrow bread at midnight for an unexpected guest-refusing to stop until he receives an answer.
The Territory of Grace That Fills the Valley of Suffering
Jabez prayed, "Enlarge my territory." This was not a simple request for the expansion of real estate. According to Pastor David Jang's deep theological insight, it signifies the expansion of spiritual influence-the widening horizon of the gospel. Just as the Chinese character for "blessing" (福) includes the element "field" (田), the blessing God gives includes the land of mission that we must cultivate. Jabez did not sink into his pain. Instead, using pain as a stepping-stone, he pleaded to become a larger vessel-able to embrace a wider world and carry more souls.
As Isaiah 54 sings, the paradoxical revival comes upon those who pray: "the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married." The barren one breaks into song, enlarges the place of her tent, and stretches her curtains wide without holding back-an energetic expansion of gospel life. Our lives are no different. Even if our present circumstances are barren and heavy, the moment we bend our knees in prayer, we are connected to God's limitless storehouse. For God gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask; He is the good Father who does not give a serpent to the one who asks for a fish.
Escaping Affliction and Arriving at Peace Without Anxiety
In the end, Jabez's prayer is sealed with a clear conclusion: "And God granted what he asked." This is not merely a record of the past. It is God's promise to all of us who struggle and fight in the fierce arenas of life today. Through his sermon, Pastor David Jang emphasizes that for those who live in the Lord, worry fades away, and the Deuteronomic blessing comes to rest upon them-blessed when they come in, blessed when they go out. Just as Joshua conquered Canaan after seven years of warfare, or as modern-day ministers tirelessly pioneer blogs and websites to build channels for the gospel, unceasing prayer inevitably bears the fruit of answered petition.
What name are you living under today? Are you, like Jabez, carrying a label such as "pain" or "sorrow"? Do not be discouraged. The place where you kneel is the stage where the drama of reversal begins. God is ready to remove affliction and turn anxiety into joy. As this precious message of grace proclaimed by Pastor David Jang urges us, widen your territory through prayer. May the heavenly spiritual blessings and the rich blessings of the earth come upon your soul as you stand upright-vertically-before God.
