1 Chronicles 4:10 KJV
10 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.

I want to share with you today about the Key that unlocked the destiny of Jabez. Jabez was born in possibly harsh conditions. We don’t fully know what the conditions were but we know his mother called him Jabez, which means ‘Pain’ or ‘Sorrow’. The name became the person. Everywhere he went he was called Sorrow. Anything he did yielded pain. His wife called him Pain. His bosses called him Sorrow. Life was full of pain and sorrow. Some of us can identify with him right away. Maybe you are currently in the midst of pain and sorrow, there is a Key that can unlock closed destinies and usher them into a new world of joy, favour and blessings.

So much has been preached and talked of the prayer that Jabez prayed but what really was the Key that changed his story? Yes, he prayed, but it wasn’t just the prayer that changed his life. Many people have prayed, yet their situations have not changed. So prayer is good but it wasn’t what changed the life of Jabez. What changed his life? It was Who he prayed to! And Jabez called on THE GOD OF ISRAEL. That was the Key that unlocked his closed destiny.

There is a God Jabez had come to know. Jabez had heard of this God, had heard of what He had done in the past and Jabez came face to face with this God. That God is the God of Israel. What’s about this God? I decided to check up on this God, the God of Israel. Why was He called the God of Israel? My first thought to solve this puzzle was to ask myself, “And whose God did he say he prayed to?”. “Israel”.”Now who is Israel?”.”Ah ha, that’s an easy question. We can find that in Genesis 32″.

Genesis 32:24-31 KJV
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.

Let me quickly share with you 5 things about the God of Israel, as seen from Jacob’s encounter with Him. I believe these were the things Jabez pondered over in his heart, then, he arose to call upon the same God.

1. The God of Israel is the God that shows up when you are alone and fed up with your situation. In verse 24, we read that Jacob was alone. Some people are fed up with their situations but they are not alone. When you are alone, you’ve driven away everything and every person. Before Jacob could be alone, he drove away his family. He entered into the presence of God and shut the door behind him. You shut the door before everything and you say, “Lord, now I’m done. I need a change”. You are not ready to take No for an answer. You are saying,”Lord, this matter must be settled today. You either change this case or you give me death”. “Oh that’s harsh, brother. Don’t talk like that to God”. Yes, I’m talking of an attitude. Ever read of John Knox who cried, “Give me Scotland or I die”? Ever read of the great servant of God who said,”Give me souls or give me death”? Ever read of that queen that said,”If I perish, I perish”? Our generation is too complacent. That’s why there are so many families without children, too many unmarried brethren, too many sick people, too many sinners around us, too much weakness even in the church of God. We are fed up but we are not alone. We are not ready for change. We talk change but we don’t act like people in need of one. When you are really alone with God, you won’t hang around those friends and family members to pity and help you mourn your situation. You won’t still be looking at your problems. You will be like Hezekiah, who turned his face to the wall and prayed. He did what? He turned his face to the wall, away from the troubles. When he faced the wall, he saw nothing but God. That’s what I called Showtime with God. When you turn your face to the wall, and be left alone with God, the God of Israel will show up.

2. The God of Israel is the God that makes men happy. In verse 26, the Lord made move to go but Jacob held unto Him. Jacob said (I believe with tears), “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me”. Do you know what he was really saying? “God make me happy. I’m tired of this condition. Please Lord make me happy. Make me joyful in life”. David said in Psalm 51:8,”Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice”. Read the prayer of Moses in Psalm 90:14-17

14 O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.
16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.
17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

There is a God that makes men glad. He is the God of Israel.

3. The God of Israel is the God that births changes in destiny in the place of prayer. Something interesting happened in verses 27 and 28. God asked Jacob, “What is your name?”. Well, whenever God asks you a question, don’t think He doesn’t know the answer. Many times He simply wants to get your attention. And He did get Jacob’s attention. Jacob means Supplanter. And what impact the name had on the person! He supplanted his brother Esau. He lived the live of a cheat and a swindler. He cheated and was cheated. When Jacob came before God, God asked him, “Who are you?”, and Jacob said, “God, I am a cheat,a swindler, a supplanter. That has been my destiny”. But God said, “No, today, I move you from the destiny created by men, by your parents, by your teachers in school who said you will never do well in life, a destiny created by the mistakes you have made in life, the wrong choices you made that have brought you to this low level life, today I move you from that level. You are now a New Creation. You are now My righteousness, and I am now your righteousness. You are no longer a slave, you are now a son and not just a son but heir, heir of God and joint-heir with Christ”. There is a God that changes destinies. He is the God of Israel. He said to Jacob,”Thy name shall be called no more Jacob”. No more a sinner. No more a slave. No more the sick. No more the poor. No more the dejected. Isn’t that something to shout about?

4. The God of Israel is the God that promotes. In verse 28, God told Jacob,”Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed”. God can promote you, if you will call on Him. He changed the destiny of Jacob and promoted him. He said to him,”You are now Israel”. What does that mean? Israel means “Prince of God”. A slave of sin now a Prince of God? Oh, my heart rejoices at the words of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1-10

1 And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.
2 There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
5 They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.
6 The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
7 The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them.
9 He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

What a psalm! The Lord raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory. Oh what our God can do, if only we believe in Him! He can promote you. Why? Hannah said, “for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them”. Do you know what she was saying? She was simply saying there is no impossibility with God. If He can hang the earth on pillars, what can’t He do? God, help our unbelief.

5. The God of Israel is the God that answers prayers. In verse 29, the bible says “And he blessed him there”. In verse 26, Jacob prayed. In verse 29, we saw the answer. Friend, there is a God that answers prayers. He is the God of Israel. He can change any situation. He can make you happy and joyful.

This was the God Jabez called on. He looked at his life and saw that there was no difference from Jacob’s. He found out the turning point in Jacob’s life. Jacob met Someone, who is a Specialist in unlocking destinies, and Jacob made Him his God. Jabez decided to put his trust in that God and called upon Him. Because that God doesn’t change, He proved Himself again in the life of Jabez. Our main text tells us, “And God granted him that which he requested”.

Who is this God of Israel? Today, I introduce to you Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The bible says in Colossians 1:19,”For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell” and again in Colossians 2:9, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily”. All the fullness of God dwells in Jesus. Any name you have of God in the Old Testament, any attribute you read about God, the bible says, all of them dwells in Jesus. So today as you have read about the God of Israel, you may say, “Oh, I want to meet Him as Jabez and Jacob did”. I say to you, “If you see Jesus, you have seen the God of Israel”. Why don’t you call on Jesus today? Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person. Jesus is full of grace and truth. He said to us that he who has seen Him, has seen the Father. Do you want to meet the God of Israel? Come to the Father through Jesus, for no man can come to the Father except by Him. Come in His Name, in that glorious, majestic Name of Jesus. Lift up your heart and voice to the Father in the Name of Jesus with your demands. He will answer, for Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Jeremiah 33:3 KJV
3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

John 16:24 KJV
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

1 John 5:14-15 KJV
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.