SCRIPTURE: 1 Sam. 14; 1 Chr. 4; 2 Cor. 13

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 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.

OBSERVATION: Are you kidding me?

APPLICATION: If God want’s the Raleigh CDC to succeed, this is the passage that will interpret our situation the most clearly. Why did Jabez want land? To glorify God? If so, this is our prayer as well.

PRAYER: Bless Raleigh, O bless the whole community! Give us land that we can develop for the community’s , large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don’t let evil hurt me.