Jabez was a better man than his brothers, a man of honor. His mother had named him Jabez (Oh, the pain!), saying, "A painful birth! I bore him in great pain!" Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: "Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don't let evil hurt me." God gave him what he asked. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (MSG)

As a father, I always desire to bless my children. I want to bless them. At the same time, I never want my blessing to be an assumption of entitlement. I don't like my blessing to be taken for granted. When a child asks rather than assumes, it is an honoring act. There is a recognition of authority and humility in the request.

Perhaps God blessed Jabez because he was the one who honored God enough to ask, and didn't assume God's blessing was a done deal.

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Flickr and kingofmonks