Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "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." And God granted his request. (1 Chronicles 4:10, NIV)
The "Prayer of Jabez" is a great example of the horizontal direction of one's petitions. It also shows a prayer-answering God. This "Chronicler" clearly shows his belief in the efficacy of prayer as he documents the positive answer Jabez received.
Lately I have sensed the direction of my prayer as tending toward the horizontal. So many (outward) petitions for family and others. But God.....in this verse shows that He can certainly answer the petitions of a pray-ers heart.
Yet, prayers also need to be vertical---(upward) in praise and thanksgiving to the glory of God. Focusing on who God is.
Prayers also need to be continual---moving onward in both directions---always God-honoring.
Horizontal. Vertical. On-ward. God-ward.
When any, or all, of these prayers are an application of one's heart to God, one is praying in the right direction.
