There Is Still More!

Good morning, friends. I hope you are well.

This morning, I was reading 1 Chronicles 4, and it was one of those chapters listing names, descendants, lineage. Easy to move past.

But then… one name interrupted everything.

Jabez.

The Bible says something interesting about him.

It says Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.

That means:

He was respected

He carried weight in his community

He stood out

If we were to look at him today, we would probably say… he was successful.

He had a good reputation.
He was doing well.

And yet, something about his story didn’t feel complete.

The Bible also says his mother named him Jabez because she bore him in pain.

So here is this man:

Honorable

Respected

Doing well

But still carrying a name that meant pain.

And I paused there for a moment.

Because I wondered…

Did he feel it?

Did he sense that something was still limiting him, even in the middle of his success?

What struck me the most is this:

Jabez did not settle.

He didn’t say,
“Well, I’m already doing better than others… this is enough.”

Instead, he went to God.

And he prayed:

“Oh that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory…”

This is someone who was already doing well… still asking for more.

Not from a place of greed.
But from a place of awareness.

He knew there was more in God.

And then he goes further:

“…that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.”

That prayer is deep.

Because it shows us something about his heart.

He wasn’t just asking for expansion…
He was asking for God’s presence.

He wasn’t just asking to grow…
He was asking to be kept.

And I think… that’s wisdom.

Real wisdom.

As I sat with this, something became very clear.

Sometimes, when things are going well, we quietly drift.

We start to think:

“I’m good.”

“I’ve figured things out.”

“I can handle this.”

And without realizing it, we begin to rely on ourselves.

But Jabez didn’t do that.

Even in a place of honor…
He still went back to God.

And this is what stayed with me the most.

There is always more in God.

More peace.
More grace.
More clarity.
More alignment.

Even when life looks good on the outside…
There is still a deeper place we can go with Him.

So this is just a gentle nudge today,

Don’t let where you are make you feel like you’ve arrived.

There is still more.

Like Jabez, go back to God and ask:

Lord, bless me indeed

Enlarge my territory

Let Your hand be with me

Keep me from evil

Keep me from pain

Not out of lack…
But out of a desire for more of Him.

My prayer is that the Lord will take us deeper
Help us not to settle in what we see
Help us to remain dependent on Him, even in seasons of growth and success
Expand us, keep us, and lead us

In Jesus's Name , Amen.

God bless you.