The Prayer of Jabez

There’s a small, easily overlooked verse tucked away in the middle of a long genealogy in the book of 1 Chronicles. It’s about a man called Jabez. We’re told, almost in passing, that he was born into pain. Even his name reflects it. And then, just as quietly, we’re told that everything changed.

Jabez prayed a simple prayer:

“Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.”1 Chronicles 4:10

And God granted his request.

It really is a pretty decent prayer when you think about it. If you’ve been shaped by pain—whether from birth, through circumstances, or through experiences you never chose then you may be longing for blessing. You long for your life to be more than being in survival mode. You long to be free from the pain you carry, and perhaps even more deeply, from the fear that you might pass that pain on to others.

At Join the Dots, we see versions of Jabez’s story everywhere. Churches and ministries filled with compassion and good intentions, yet encountering unspoken trauma—personal, communal, generational. Leaders who love deeply, but who were never taught how pain shapes behaviour, faith, bodies, or relationships. People longing for their “territory” to be enlarged—not in numbers or success, but in safety, understanding, and hope. 

The dots need joining and being trauma-informed is, in many ways, a modern echo of Jabez’s prayer. It is the courage to say: we acknowledge the pain, we refuse to be defined by it, and we choose not to pass it on. It is asking God to bless us not just with growth, but with wisdom; not just with influence, but with gentleness; not just with activity, but with healing.

As we look ahead, our prayer remains that faith spaces would become places where pain is recognised, not minimised; where God’s hand is present through safe people, thoughtful practices, and deep compassion; and where lives and communities are truly enlarged.

Thank you for walking with us, praying with us, and supporting this work. Together, we are helping faith organisations become places where pain does not have the final word.

Do contact us if you or your organisation want to join dots.

With gratitude and hope,

Ruth

CEO, Join the Dots