“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” (1 Chronicles 4:10)
We pray the “prayer of Jabez.” We want God’s hand to be with us. We want Him to bless us and “enlarge our coasts.” Usually, when we pray this we’re thinking of doing bigger and better things. But the “coast” that God is most interested in enlarging is the borders of our heart.
Paul recognized the zeal of the Corinthians for spiritual gifting and exploits. But he also saw how small their hearts were. He exhorted them toward an enlarged heart. (2 Cor. 6:11-13) The Ephesians were also a church that had good works and good doctrine, but their love began to wane. (Rev. 2:2-4) Paul prayed that they would lay hold on the fullness of God, and know the love of Christ which goes beyond head knowledge. (Eph. 3:17-19)
There are times when God exposes to us how small-hearted we are. We struggle to fulfill God’s commandment to love one another. But know that God wants to give us the very thing we lack. He would be all in all. He would help us overcome our smallness. He would grant our request for an enlarged heart.