The Meaning of Jabez

People ask me all the time “why did you choose the name The Jabez Project?” Hip-Hop Culture (which encompasses many things) is only the vehicle in which our vision is delivered to the communities we serve.   

After the popular book “The Prayer of Jabez” was published in 2000 I was really moved to examine the content of this prayer.  After reading the book for myself, I came to understand that the prayer is self-explanatory: “God, please give me more, protect me, and you’ll be sure to get the credit for it.” One word in the prayer left me bewildered beyond belief, ‘territory.’  To be exact, the words, ‘enlarge my territory.’  That word ‘territory’ just stirred me to dig deeper into its meaning. I wasn’t ready to believe all the hype of this book and prayer was based on a man asking God for more, it had to be something else. Most think of an area of land when defining territory. On the other hand, an area of activity, experience, study, or interest is a way to define territory. So with that in mind, the prayer might read more like …

“Enlarge my area of study, intellect, & social interest that your hand would guide me, protect me, and keep from evil, that I would not cause pain to myself, my family, or my community. And God granted him his request.”

Not only did I find the name to be fitting, but I found the TRUE definition of Hip-Hop within the prayer. Jabez made a request for responsibility, accountability, and growth, allowing him to be a blessing to others. Hence, we are The Jabez Project.