When You Feel Like Jabez
When your past feels painful, your present feels heavy, and your future seems uncertain, dare to pray for God’s blessing, presence, and direction.
There are days when my Bible reading moves quickly from one chapter to the next. Then there are days when one verse refuses to let me go.
For me, that verse has been the prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:9–10.
I have been sitting with it for days.
Why?
Because I feel like Jabez.
The Man Behind the Prayer
Most people know the prayer of Jabez, but I have found myself thinking more about the man behind the prayer.
Jabez was born into a painful story. His mother named him Jabez because his birth was marked by pain. Imagine carrying a name that reminded you of suffering every time someone called you.
Yet his story did not end with the circumstances of his birth.
As I reflect on Jabez, I think about the reality of living in a world where pain, brokenness, and uncertainty seem to surround us. His brief story in Scripture reminds me that our beginnings do not have to define our endings.
And as I sit with these verses, my thoughts turn to my own country.
I think of Haiti.
I think of the violence, the gangs, the fear, the corruption, and communities that no longer recognize themselves. I think about people who cannot safely return to their hometowns. I think about brothers turning against brothers. I think about generations growing up surrounded by instability and uncertainty.
The similarities are painful.
When Your Circumstances Feel Bigger Than Your Hope
Sometimes we inherit more than a family name. We inherit limitations, broken systems, difficult environments, and stories that seem determined to repeat themselves.
We watch the same obstacles resurface. We pray, we hope, and we try to move forward. Yet sometimes, despite our efforts, we find ourselves wondering whether breakthrough is even possible.
There comes a moment when the soul grows weary.
That is where I find myself.
Not weary of God.
Weary of feeling stuck.
Weary of seeing the same obstacles.
Weary of wondering what the next step is when I cannot even see the path ahead.
Perhaps that is why Jabez’s prayer has become my prayer.
“Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm…”
— 1 Chronicles 4:10
Jabez Did Not Ask to Rewrite His Past
What strikes me about Jabez is what he chose to do with his pain.
He did not ask God to rewrite his past. He did not ask for a different name or a different beginning. Instead, he brought his future before God.
He asked for God's blessing.
He asked for God's hand.
He asked for God's protection.
He asked God to enlarge his territory.
That gives me hope.
Maybe the greatest miracle is not that God changes our past, but that He refuses to let our past determine our future.
We cannot always change where we began. We cannot always repair the circumstances around us. And we cannot control everything that happens in our families, communities, or nations.
But we can bring our circumstances before God and ask Him to guide our next steps.
What Does It Mean to Ask God to Enlarge Your Territory?
When I read Jabez's prayer, I find myself thinking about more than land, possessions, or influence.
Perhaps asking God to enlarge our territory also means asking Him to enlarge our vision, strengthen our faith, deepen our capacity to love, and give us the courage to obey.
Perhaps it means becoming willing to walk through doors that only God can open—and being faithful when He asks us to walk through doors we would never have chosen ourselves.
Sometimes the territory God enlarges first is the heart.
He may begin by changing how we see our circumstances. He may teach us to trust Him in uncertainty, to love when disappointment tempts us to withdraw, or to remain faithful when the outcome is not yet visible.
And perhaps, through that inward transformation, He prepares us for what lies ahead.
I Only Need the Next Faithful Step
As I continue to pray, I realize that I do not need God to show me the next ten years.
I simply need Him to show me the next faithful step.
His Word reminds me:
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
— Psalm 119:105 (KJV)
A lamp does not illuminate the entire journey. It gives enough light for the next step.
How often do we delay moving forward because we want to see the whole road before we begin? We want certainty before obedience, clarity before commitment, and guarantees before we trust.
But faith does not always come with a complete map.
Sometimes faith means taking the next step with the light God has already given us.
Today, that is enough.
A Prayer for the One Who Feels Stuck
So I pray as Jabez prayed.
Not because I believe life will suddenly become easy, and not because I expect every obstacle to disappear overnight.
I pray because I believe the God who heard Jabez still hears His children today.
I pray because my past does not have the final word.
I pray because my present circumstances do not limit God's ability to lead me.
And I pray because even when I cannot see the way forward, I can still place my future in His hands.
Perhaps you feel like Jabez today, too.
Perhaps you are carrying the weight of your family, your community, your country, or your own unanswered questions. Perhaps you are tired of waiting and wondering when something will finally change.
Take heart.
You do not have to understand the entire journey to bring your next step before God.
Ask Him to bless you. Ask Him to guide you. Ask Him to keep His hand upon you. And ask Him to shape your heart so that whatever He entrusts to you, you can carry with humility, wisdom, and faithfulness.
Your story is not over.
Keep praying. Keep trusting. Keep taking the next faithful step.
Prayer
Father,
Today I come before You with the prayer of Jabez on my lips and hope in my heart.
You know where I have come from. You know the burdens I carry for my country, for my family, and for my own life. You know the places where I feel weary, uncertain, and unable to move forward.
Lord, I am tired of being stuck.
If You would bless me, bless me indeed.
Enlarge the territory You have prepared for me. Open my eyes to see what You see. Give me courage to take the next step, even when I cannot see the entire road ahead.
Let Your hand remain upon me. Breathe new life into every dry place within me. Replace fear with faith, discouragement with hope, and confusion with Your wisdom.
Keep me from evil, and keep my heart close to Yours.
May my life never be defined by where I began, but by what You accomplish through a heart that trusts You.
Like Jabez, I choose to believe that You are still the God who hears, the God who answers, and the God who transforms ordinary lives into testimonies of Your grace.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
LespriNef — Connect to the Creator. Hear the call. Discover your mission.
More Than a Game: What Haiti Taught Me in Ninety Minutes
I watched Haiti play Scotland, and although Haiti lost 1–0, what I witnessed went far beyond the final score.
I saw a team that played with courage.
I saw young men who were not afraid to display their talent.
I saw discipline, teamwork, determination, and heart.
As I watched them move the ball, support one another, and fight for every opportunity, I found myself feeling proud—not because of the result, but because of the way they played. Sometimes the outcome does not tell the whole story. Sometimes the process reveals something even greater.
Those young Haitian players represented something beautiful. They showed what can happen when people work together toward a common purpose. They demonstrated commitment, sacrifice, and perseverance. They gave everything they had on that field.
And as I watched, another thought came to my mind.
While thousands of Haitians around the world were watching that game with excitement and hope, I wondered who else was watching.
Were the gangs watching?
Were the people who finance violence watching?
Were the individuals who place weapons into the hands of young people watching?
I wondered what must have been going through their minds as they witnessed a different vision of Haiti.
The players on that field were also young. They come from the same generation. They possess the same human potential, the same intelligence, the same capacity for greatness.
Yet instead of carrying weapons, they carried a dream.
Instead of spreading fear, they inspired hope.
Instead of destroying lives, they lifted the hearts of a nation.
The contrast was impossible to ignore.
Haiti does not manufacture guns. Haiti does not produce the ammunition that fuels violence. Those things come from somewhere else. Yet so many young minds have been recruited into destruction when they could have been recruited into purpose.
Watching that game reminded me that every young person carries God-given gifts. Those gifts can be nurtured toward creation or manipulated toward destruction.
What a tragedy when talent is wasted.
What a blessing when talent is developed.
The Haitian team may not have scored a goal, but they displayed something that statistics cannot measure: character.
Not one player failed to give his effort.
Not one player appeared to quit.
They played with passion, dignity, and determination.
And for that, they deserve recognition.
As I continued watching, my thoughts turned into prayer.
I began praying for those players, for their coaches, for the people who support them, and for the future of Haiti.
I prayed that God would protect them.
I prayed that He would keep them humble.
I prayed that He would reveal Himself to each one of them and draw them into a personal relationship with Him.
I prayed that their story would become greater than soccer.
That beyond victories, defeats, trophies, and recognition, they would discover the purpose for which God created them.
I prayed for every young Haitian watching that game.
I prayed that they would understand that God has given them talents, abilities, intelligence, creativity, and dreams.
That they would realize they were created for more than survival.
That they would discover their purpose.
That they would use their gifts to build rather than destroy.
I also prayed for Haiti itself.
For mercy.
For healing.
For restoration.
For peace.
And yes, I prayed even for those who are responsible for the suffering.
I prayed that God would awaken their consciences.
That He would bring them to repentance.
That He would expose darkness and frustrate the plans of those who seek to destroy innocent lives.
That He would rescue young people from cycles of violence.
That He would transform hearts before more lives are lost and wasted.
As I watched those young men play with such commitment, I was reminded that Haiti’s future is not found in fear.
It is found in its people.
It is found in its youth.
It is found in the gifts God has placed within them.
For ninety minutes, I saw a glimpse of what Haiti could become when talent is cultivated, when people work together, and when hope is allowed to flourish.
The final score may have favored Scotland.
But the spirit, the courage, and the heart displayed by Haiti left a lasting impression on me.
So today, my prayer remains:
Father, have mercy on Haiti.
Protect its people.
Strengthen its youth.
Bless those who dedicate themselves to honorable pursuits.
Encourage those who represent the nation with integrity.
Awaken the conscience of those who promote violence.
Bring confusion to the plans of evil and establish Your purposes in the land.
Raise up a generation that chooses purpose over destruction, service over selfishness, and unity over division.
May the gifts You have placed within the Haitian people shine brightly throughout the world.
And may Haiti reflect not the works of darkness, but Your glory.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Rise! A Caleb for Our Generation
A Nation at Its Jericho Moment
1986 – 2026 : Forty years.
When Jean-Claude Duvalier left Haiti in 1986, ending nearly 30 years of dynastic rule that began with his father, we breathed a fragile hope. But the years that followed proved just as chaotic—marked by division, competing ambitions, and a fractured nation.
Through my daily Bible reading, I began to see parallels that helped me understand what my country and my fellow citizens have endured, and why progress has been so difficult. When Israel asked God for a human king, His answer surprised me. God told them exactly what such a king would do:
"He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards…
He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards…"
— 1 Samuel 8:10–22
In other words, he would seize your wealth, your livestock, your sons for war—using his position to enrich himself and lead you astray. God's warning proved accurate. What seemed like ancient history to the Israelites became the pattern of human power everywhere.
We often think our situation is unique.
It is not.
There is only one race on earth—the human race—and sin touches every part of human life, pushing us further from our Creator. That is the truth.
Forty Years Later: A Reflection of That Truth
If human leadership leads us astray because of the corruption in our hearts and our constant desire to build other gods, then the condition of our nation today simply mirrors what God warned long ago.
Yet even in this, one truth remains unshaken: God has never abandoned us.
He came to redeem us.
He is the God of all nations—including Haiti.
We can choose to embrace His principles and advance His Kingdom, or continue down a path of destruction.
The Call for Calebs
Forty years is not random.
It is a biblical season—a time of testing, transition, and decision.
When the spies returned from the Promised Land, an entire generation chose fear over faith. They grumbled. They doubted. They refused to believe God's promise.
But Caleb and Joshua stood apart.
While the majority trembled, they believed.
While others saw giants, they saw God's faithfulness.
While the generation perished in the wilderness, these two alone entered the promised land.
If our hope rests in political power, we already know the outcome. But if we embrace God as our true King, He can use us—even as individuals standing against the tide—to advance His Kingdom in our homeland and wherever He leads us.
A Renewed Mandate for Our Nation
The walls that have stood since Haiti's foundation will not fall through human strategy.
They will fall through obedience.
They will fall through faith.
They will fall when individuals rise who embody His Word, apply His principles to govern, and are willing to stand alone if necessary.
Forty years later, we are alive for a reason.
This is not survival—it is Assignment.
God has a plan for this land.
He is calling for the Calebs and Joshuas of this generation.
The Call Begins at Home
Being a Caleb for our generation begins in the ordinary places: in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our communities.
Transformation begins with ourselves and within our own households before it can reach the nation. When we make His Word and His principles our daily practice, change takes root. One heart that responds and obeys can transform a whole community.
Let His Word guide you daily as you grow in knowing your Creator.
Will you be a Caleb for our generation?
Inspired by my book : Become Who You Are : Faith - Identity - Purpose
One Life. One Heart. One Command.
Exodus 20 is singular — “you.”
Transformation begins in one heart.
Laws of the Promised Land - Numbers 34-36
“When you enter Canaan…” — Book of Numbers 34:2
Before a single wall had fallen…
Before a single field had been planted…
God began assigning inheritance.
Representatives from the twelve tribes cast lots for land they did not yet possess. The boundaries were defined before the battles were fought. Heaven settled ownership while earth still required obedience.
Even more striking—God gave the Levites forty-eight cities scattered throughout the land. Not one of those cities had yet been conquered. God was distributing promises that still looked like enemy territory.
This is the language of faith.
God speaks in certainties about what we have not yet seen.
He organizes our future before we step into it.
He assigns purpose before the opposition is removed.
The people were not preparing to earn victory.
They were preparing to walk into what God had already declared.
Fortified by faith, they sharpened their swords for battles that, in God’s mind, were already won.
Reflection
Is there a “Canaan” in your life—something God has spoken over you that you have not yet stepped into?
Perhaps the boundaries are clear, but the giants are still standing.
Take heart.
If God has already divided the land, He has already determined the outcome.
You are not fighting for victory.
You are fighting from promise.
Faith That Walks
Faith isn’t about how strongly we feel — it’s about how trustworthy God is. You can believe with all your might that your SUV will take off and fly to Alaska, but you’ll still be sitting in traffic with four wheels on the ground.
Real faith rests on a real, believable God — the God who reveals Himself through His Word and through lived experience. Scripture calls us not to feel by faith, but to walk by faith. Like the tree in Psalm 1, faith takes root. Like the saints in Hebrews 11, faith steps forward because God is who He says He is.
Know Him. Trust Him. Walk with Him.
Walk by faith today — not because you feel strong, but because He is faithful.
"The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him. Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever....Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you." Gen 13: 14,15 - 17
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