too often we can say ‘God bless …’ as a catch-all phrase that ends up meaning very little. It reminds me of a story of a boy who was overheard praying, ‘God bless Mummy, God bless Daddy, God bless Grandma, God bless Grandpa, God bless Nana, God bless Grandad, and God bless yourself, because if anything happens to you then we’re all sunk!’ But Jabez knows what he is after when he asks God for his blessing, and his desires are close to the heart of the writer: he wants expansion, help and protection.