A Few Thoughts on the Prayers of Jabez and Agur

A few thoughts on the prayers of Jabez and Agur:
Every so often a passage of Scripture comes to the attention of the body of Christ and is repeated and printed and memorized much as John 3:16 has been. For instance, I have followed that process, taking place currently by the prayer of Jabez, and have memorized and repeated it almost every morning during my quiet time with the Lord. To me it’s a basic request; one that I want to emulate and include in my own personal life. It can be found in 1 Chronicles 4:10:

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying,
“Oh that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain.”
So God granted him what he requested.

The other day as my fingers did the walking through the book of Proverbs, I found a passage in Chapter 30, verses 7-9, that I had marked years ago. It seemed to somewhat parallel the prayer of brother Jabez. Although most of the Proverbs are attributed to Solomon, this one mentions a fellow named Agur the son of Jakeh as the author. In any event, it occurred to me again for the first time in a long time that it is another prayer I would like to include as meaningful to me. So says Agur:

“Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):
Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches –
feed me with the food You prescribe for me;
lest I be full and deny You, and say,
‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be poor and steal,
and profane the name of my God.”

It occurs to me God’s Word is timeless and can be incorporated in the lives of 21st century Christians as every bit as relevant today as it was in the times of Jabez and Agur. Words to live by? They certainly are for this aging lover of God’s Word.
And may it ever be so.