Nestled in the Woods

Where are you?
Did you think you could hide?
There is no place
where you could creep…
no valley deep enough,
nor even beyond some ocean wide
where you could flee
the reach of my long arm.

Where are you?
It is not you who hides
your guilty face.
I cannot look at you;
I cannot know you.
Never could some
fig leaf grow
that could conceal
you and your bride.
You cannot hide from me,
and I can do you harm.

Where are you?
You’ve walked in willful strides
beyond the sphere
of my love.
You’re lost…not hidden.
You crouch in fear
because you chose…
decided to gain control
of your destiny,
and to reject
what you were bidden…
chose to believe
the Tempter’s charms.

Where are you?
You have surely died.
Your heart is pierced
with rank deceit,
where lust will grow,
where greed will cause
you to be fierce,
and pride will flow
like rivers in a flood.
The only way to pause
the swelling tide
is shedding blood.
You have sent up
your death alarm!

I know where you are,
but I will provide
the remedy to extricate
you from your deadly fate.
I will become a man
and live a perfect life,
that had you so done,
this Eden could be won
forever for you
and your wife.
and then, I as a man,
will be the sacrifice…
My wrath appeased…
forever satisfied,
and I, once more,
can welcome you
into my arms.

I 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.

This prayer, particularly the part about enlarging territory, was popular some years back, prompting marketers to make bracelets, coffee cups, tee shirts and the like to promote the idea that all we need to do is pray and God will give us material blessings. 

What happened to this notion?  I see neither confirmation that Christians are more affluent than their counterpart in the non-Christian world, nor do I see evidence of the once-trendy marketing tools these days.  It seems odd that Christian believers who may have diligently prayed that prayer seem to be suffering through this economic crisis at the same rate of non-believers.  Perhaps the prayer was not prayed in faith; perhaps that prayer was only meant for Old Testament times; perhaps it’s all a myth.  I do wonder if perhaps the prayer we pray in our day should be, not for personal material gain, but for a deeper spiritual relationship with God.

I pray my own paraphrase of this prayer:

Oh, God of Israel, I pray that You would bless me indeed; help me to reach beyond my self-imposed borders to others with the gospel and for Your Kingdom; may I walk in Your presence each moment today; keep me from the evils of this world; may I never cause harm or pain to those whose lives touch mine.

Another odd tidbit: the name Jabez means “sorrow”.  We must be sorrowful for our sins before we can expect the joy of Christ to reach out beyond those self-imposed borders.

It is not about what we have…the things that feed our greed; it is about the advancement of God’s Kingdom.  It’s not about me; it’s about Him. Pray to be more and more like Christ and God will, indeed, grant you what you request.