2 Chronicles 1:7-10 
That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 

Solomon answered God, “You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place. Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth. Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (NIV)

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It was in my preteen years when I discovered the wonder of a genie in a lamp. Rubbing that lamp brought forth a genie who would grant three wishes for anything except for more wishes. I soon discovered that there was no such thing as a genie in a lamp. Even so, the idea helps us fantasize about what could be. 

As we’ve noted before, fantasies and dreams are two different entities. Fantasies are only tangentially connected to reality. Dreams are goals we look forward to as we apply all of the strengths, abilities, and wisdom we gain in pursuit of something that honors God and blesses others. 

As you think about the future, as you consider what could be, keep in mind that self-focus leads to fantasies. Our worlds really need to be bigger than ourselves for our God-given dreams to come true. 

God never invites anyone to make everything all about himself or herself. Instead, he blesses people to be blessings to others, like Abraham in Genesis. What has God put in you that he wants to use to build a better world? What is the signature dream that drives you that is aligned and attuned with the heart and mind of God? 

Better than a genie in a lamp is Our Father in Heaven. 

In 1st Chronicles 4:9, 10, we have the story of an honorable man named Jabez. (My dictation app changed Jabez to Chavez. I know some good people named Chavez, but the app misunderstood my Texas Twang and inserted an appropriate name for my locale.)

Jabez, it says, “was more honorable than his brothers.” We don’t know how honorable that was. We don’t know how dishonorable his brothers were. We are not given those details. What we are told is that he lived an honorable life that God could bless. God honors those who honor Him. 

Jabez had a prayer request. He said, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” 

Why did he pray this? Verse 9 tells us. The name Jabez means “he makes sorrowful.” His mother had a great deal of trouble delivering him. There was a whole lot of pain involved, and she named him for the pain. 

Having been called a “royal pain” a time or two along the way, I can testify that it is not the kind of appellation one ascribes to. Jabez wanted to escape his past to live in a special future only God could create. He wanted to know God’s hand of blessing. He wanted God to build what only he could build out of his one and only life. And here’s the encouraging part: the last sentence in verse 10 says, “And God granted his request.” 

God granted Jabez’s request, and God granted Solomon’s request. They understood the nature of seeking God’s blessings, not merely for themselves but for others. They chose to live Abrahamic lives. They asked God to bless them so that they could bless others. 

How does that inform how you will pray today? 

Jesus said in John 15:7, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

If we consider this verse only from its second half, we miss its meaning. The second half is powerful. It says, “ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a genie in a lamp, doesn’t it? That’s why it’s so important to get the first half of the verse. 

Jesus said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you…” That word “remain” is also translated as “abide” in other places. It’s what the Bible means when God says, “Be holy as I am holy.” (See 1 Peter 1:16.) Abiding in Christ means that we take on his concerns as our concerns. We think his thoughts after him. We are most deeply moved by what moves him. 

When we align our thoughts and attune our hearts to his, we can ask anything, and he will do it. When we want what He wants, He says “Yes.”

Abraham, Jabez, Solomon, and Jesus teach us how to pray. Let’s pray these kinds of prayers that honor God and that God honors. 

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I will pray no fantasies; instead, I will only pray for God’s dreams for me. 

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Our Father, whatever you want, I want also. Your dreams for me are better than any I could have for myself. Bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Give me an Abrahamic life. Amen.