The Integrity of a Bold Vision, Part 2

Today from Chuck Swindoll, the story of Jabez. What was it that caused Jabez to reach such admirable heights? He cried out to God, there's a desperation in it. He needed God to come to his rescue, to be for him what no one else has ever been.

So he cries out, oh that you would bless me. When you think about your position, your status in life, have you ever felt stuck? Ever felt like you're caught in a cycle of sameness?

Those feelings of monotony and boredom are quite common. And today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll will point to a significant biographical sketch found in 1 Chronicles chapter 4. The writer mentions the little-known prophet named Jabez, who longed for something more. Through his example, we find the keys to broadening our world. Chuck titled today's message, The Integrity of a Bold Vision, and we begin with prayer. We do crown you, our Father, with many crowns, and your Son is the Lamb upon the throne. We bow voluntarily, humbly, gratefully before you and before none other. We wait upon you for your direction, our time's call for determined, bold prayer. We ask you, our Father, to rescue us in the midst of this world in which we find ourselves, not as victims, for you do not lead us into defeat, but always victory.

Yet we often feel the silence from heaven. You're obviously not visible before us, so we must claim your presence by faith, and we do so with confidence, assurance, hope. We all have those secret things in our lives that call out to you with simple words like help us, guide us, comfort us, strengthen us, have your way in us.

And even as Jabez prayed, enlarge our territory, broaden our vision, break us free from self-imposed limitations. May we know the joy of living outside ourselves because of your provision of strength, encouragement, hope, renewal, and joy. I pray for those who struggled today, some of them lonely, having lost the love of their lives and now they go on alone without them. Give special grace and extra strength, comfort and companionship. Be to them as one they have lost, remind them that they're never alone, that you were never absent, that life is never futile or purposeless. Guide us as a people, our Father, for we have lost our way. We have so few who speak for you, who represent you, who stand strong for you, who are unafraid of speaking out on your behalf, representing your truth in a world of lies and your perception in a world of deceit. Use them in special ways, we pray, as we watch you work through their leadership.

Use each one of us in our own sphere of influence. I pray also for those who were ill, that you would give grace, mercy, encouragement to them as they recover, as they press on. For those who minister to them, give them extra strength to assist and nurse them back to health.

Lord, today we look at a tiny little story about an insignificant, otherwise insignificant man whom you've singled out from a set of obscure verses. May we see the value of that life and may we realize the relevance of his message to us. May we call out to you. May we ask you to bless us indeed, to make your name great through us, to be pleased to use us. Finally, Lord, I pray that you would encourage those who are in difficult places today. There are those who have been kidnapped and there's a ransom out for their lives with the threat of death hanging over them.

Rescue them, free them from their hostages. Protect all of us, Lord, in this decadent era. Provide by your grace the hope and encouragement we need. Bless those who give to the ministry that you would honor their faith and use their gifts in a special way to enlarge your work, to minister to those who are broken, heartsick, many of them lost. Thank you in advance for the way you will use these gifts for your greater glory. In the name of the Enthroned Christ, our Savior, our Master, we pray. Everyone said, Amen. Amen.

You're listening to Insight for Living. To search the Scriptures with Chuck Swindoll, be sure to download his Searching the Scriptures studies by going to insightworld.org slash studies. Chuck titled his message, The Integrity of a Bold Vision. A couple of thoughts come to mind before we even get into the verses themselves. And the first is obscurity need not overshadow any life. If anyone emerges from obscurity, the man we're considering today is the classic example. Never mentioned before, never mentioned again, like a meteor across the night sky. His name suddenly flashed the scriptures and never again.

Never to return. But he was a man who prayed with boldness. In spite of the fact that his life had come from obscurity. Here's the second, disabilities need not limit our vision.

You say, Where do you get that? Well, as you will see, he had a very unusual name. And it could very well include a serious disability. Like the one you struggle with.

Disabilities need not disqualify anyone. Let me read verses 9 and 10 again. Just to refresh our minds. There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Yavaz.

The Hebrew says, Jabez, it's rendered in English. We'll look at the meaning in a moment. Because his birth had been so painful. He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel. Oh, that you would bless me.

And expand my territory. Please be with me in all that I do and keep me from all trouble and pain. And God granted him his request.

Period. That's it for Jabez. I'm drawn to his Hebrew name because the root of it is pain, anguish, misery.

His mother named him that. Isn't it interesting that the very first thing we read about him is that he's more honorable than his brothers. There's a man named Jabez who is more honorable than any of his brothers. How could that be?

How could that have happened? What was it that caused Jabez to reach such admirable heights? Well, the secrets in verse 10.

Look for yourself. He was the one who called out, literally the Hebrew reads, cried out. He cried out to God.

There's a desperation in it. He needed God to come to his rescue, to be for him what no one else has ever been. So he cries out. He asks, first of all, for divine engagement. Oh, that you would bless me. Your Bible may include the word indeed. It isn't in the Hebrew text, but it's the way translators try to make the meaning of the syntax of the Hebrew come to life. For this particular prayer includes what is called a particle of wishing. I'd never seen it before.

One of my sources revealed that. It's a rare expression when combined with the intensive form of the verb reveals a person who desperately wants something. Oh, God.

Oh, God. I desperately need you to be engaged in my life. Bless me with an overwhelming blessing.

Perhaps he's surrounded by mediocrity or mockery. And he rises above it in his prayer life and he says, oh, that you would come to my rescue. Engage yourself in my life. I long for you to break through the cloud that has covered me and the pain and the shame that has surrounded me since birth.

You could do that, God. And I call out to you, I watched on YouTube just this last week on my iPhone, I had a few extra moments and it talked about a rescue at sea where this particular Coast Guard rookie made his first save in heavy wind and waves as he came up on a sailboat that had capsized. And there was a man crying out for help. And this this drop happens, as you've seen from a helicopter.

And this, I love the scene, the man is calling out to him and he reaches down and grabs him and the guy just clings to him. It's that kind of thing. There's a desperation in this. I've endured these things, I've gone on year after year, but now, Lord, I'm turning over to you. I ask for divine engagement in my life. And I don't simply pray it, I cry out for it. And having done so, he then called for divine enlargement. Look, look, for what does he ask? Expand my territory.

He's not looking for a landmass, it's not that kind of territory. Broaden my world. Widen my vision.

Enlarge my direction. It's so easy to be satisfied with small. There's a little couplet that says, content to fill a little space if God be glorified. Well, that's a worthy sentiment, if that's where God places us, but must all places be little?

I mean, is it only the little place where God is glorified? How about a large space? How about a major role in this world in which we live? How about, I mean, wouldn't it be great to have a great president that speaks for Christ and isn't afraid to talk about the living God and represents what is right and good and best for our country? Wouldn't that be great?

A big place. Wouldn't it be great to have congressmen and women who weren't afraid to say, that's wrong. That's a lie. We cannot do that.

We must do this. And to think outside the box, I've come to where I hate the box. This world of limitations and, watch out, be careful, it isn't correct.

That's why I love it, because it isn't correct. It breaks the mold. Expand my world, Lord.

It's a little space, I'm satisfied there, but could you possibly broaden it? I've been in little all my life. I surround my life with little. Expand this territory of my world.

Just a little personal testimony here. We got Insight for Living started just hand-to-mouth. I mean, we spent all of our money to get it underway, and that was spent. We had just a little bit of an idea. Cynthia and I had no experience in media ministry. Our first filing cabinet was a shoebox under our bed.

How's that provision? Well, we had it in alphabetical order anyway, and we started there and we said to each other, well, maybe it's God's will that we go on maybe a dozen or more stations. Sure, why not? And then one day she said to me, you know what I think?

I think we could expand this to be across the country. And I go, really? Owe me of little faith? Are you kidding?

No, no, she said this. They want our broadcast. I said, well, where's the money going to come from? Well, I think last time I checked, we have a God in heaven who will provide for our needs. You know, the very first time we found ourselves in serious need, we had, I think, three on the payroll, maybe four. And we had to make payroll.

It was about 70,000, 71 or something like that. And the first month God sent in 75,000. And I go, oh, man, that's great.

I was the one who said, where's the money going to come from? And then it enlarged further and then he brought in more and then it went further. And then we moved internationally and we began to open up headquarters in Canada and in Australia, English speaking, and maybe we could go to Europe and get in the Arabic speaking areas and then South America and Romania. And I mean, before we knew it, she came home from a Wycliffe conference where she had been on the president's council. And she said to me, you know, honey, Wycliffe does translation.

I go, yeah, I know we're at breakfast. And she's just talking about what she had picked up while she was at the meeting. And she said, you know, they're in their desires to get into all the world and to translate the Bible into the language of those local areas and the vernacular of those areas. And she said, isn't that a great thing? I said, yeah, that's wonderful.

She said, we need to do the follow up. And I go, honey, that's worldwide stuff. She said, I know I've got the idea that we ought to call it Vision 195.

I learned while I was away there are 195 countries in the world. So let's plan on reaching 195 countries. Pass the eggs and the bacon. Let's just just wait a minute.

She says, no, I'm not going to wait a minute. We're going to do that. And now that that's our that's our motto. When you walk in, you need to visit the new building over here where we have a marvelous gallery of the nations. You come in where there are little niches built for one for each of the nations. And we're we're going to put artifacts and translations and flags and pictures. And we're hoping to staff each one of them with our pastors that will minister God's word and shepherd the people there. And it's it's it's our middle name. Lord, expand our territory.

It isn't a head trip. This isn't JBS full of pride. He said, Lord, broaden my world. Surprised me with what you can do.

Place me wherever you wish, but I ask that if it's possible, it be a larger place than I've been able to fill thus far in my life. I need that divine enlargement. Well, that calls for divine empowerment. Look at what he says. And please.

Same breath as for enlarged territory. Please. Please be with me in all that I do. I love that. I don't want to go out on my own.

This isn't the JBS enterprising organization going on here. I want you in the middle of it. I want you to be the strength. I want you to be the controlling power.

I want. In fact, the Hebrew says, oh, that your hand will be with me in Hebrew. The idea of hand is is a picture, a symbol of strength and guidance. It's even at times a term of endearment, placing his hand on. We do that with each other. We place our hands when we ordain a young man for the ministry. We place our hands.

It's called the laying on of hands. Lord, place your hand on this. Empower all of this. I don't want to go out on my own.

I want to go out with you. As I broaden from the world, I've been born into bringing nothing but pain to those around me. And finally, he asks for divine enablement. Notice what he asks. That you would be with me and keep me from all trouble. And look at that.

And pain. You're listening to Insight for Living and the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll. He titled today's message about Jabez, The Integrity of a Bold Vision. There's much more teaching ahead, and we urge you to join us again next time. And if you'd like to learn more about this ministry, please visit insightworld.org. Today's message is the seventh in a brand new teaching series from Chuck. It's titled Walking with Integrity in Times of Adversity. And if you're looking for an inspirational book to help you this year, then we highly recommend Chuck Swindoll's book called Joseph, A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness. It ties in naturally with this new study, and it includes issues like the one we address today. But it's even broader in its range, walking alongside Joseph from his earliest days to his ascent into national leadership.

Ask for the book Joseph, A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness. It's available for purchase at insight.org slash offer. Or call us if you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888. Earlier in today's program, you heard Chuck describe the surprising early days of this ministry when God chose to expand the Swindoll's territory. We're grateful to those who've been listening and supporting Insight for Living all along the way. What began on a handful of stations in 1979 has now grown to more than 2,000 stations worldwide.

And the program is translated into multiple languages as well. And it's because people like you have stood by our side. We believe the best days are yet ahead as we deepen our friendship with partners like you. To give a contribution today, call us if you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888. Or give online at insight.org slash donate. It's almost impossible to escape the pervasive news these days.

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Or go online to insight.org slash monthly companion. Join us when Chuck Swindoll describes what he calls the integrity of a bold vision, Thursday on Insight for Living. The preceding message, The Integrity of a Bold Vision, was copyrighted in 2021 and 2022. And the sound recording was copyrighted in 2022 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.