I'll take Hannah's prayer over Jabez's anyday

I don't get what all the hype was about. The Prayer of Jabez sucks, if you ask me. First, he causes his mother immense pain in childbirth, Then, he prays a simple two liner to God:

"Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!"

And God granted him his request. Just like that.

Justapose that against Hannah, who is barren for most of her life and ridiculed by her husband's other wife. Let's forget the polygamy for a second and consider that Hannah cries bitterly for years for a son. Eventually God "remembers her plea" and grants it to her - but what's awesome here is Hannah's response:

"My heart rejoices in the Lord!
The Lord has made me strong.
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
I rejoice because you rescued me.

No one is holy like the Lord!
There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.

Stop acting so proud and haughty!
Don't speak with such arrogance!
For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done;
he will judge your actions.
The bow of the mighty is now broken,
and those who stumbled are now strong.
Those who were well fed are now starving,
and those who were starving are now full.
The childless woman now has seven children,
and the woman with many children wastes away.
The Lord gives both death and life;
he brings some down to the grave but raises others up.
The Lord makes some poor and others rich;
he brings some down and lifts others up.
He lifts the poor from the dust
and the needy fromthe garbage dump.
He sets them among princes,
placing them in seats of honor.
For all the earth is the Lord's
and he has set the world in order.

He will protect his faithful ones,
but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.
Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered.
He thunders against them from heaven;
the Lord judges throughout the earth.
He gives power to his king;
he increases the strength of his annointed one.

- 1 Samuel 2:1-11

I'm going through the Old Testament, and seeing the overall pattern of nothing except that when people are wicked, they eventually perish. But where they are righteous and honestly seeking the Lord's help - He will grant it, eventually. Sometimes the Lord's help comes easily, sometimes it comes after many many years of sorrow and strife. Consider Job. Or Naomi. I suppose I've been thinking a lot about fairness and God in light of the rampant economic hardships these days. I've been thinking about how hard life seems to be - how much i have to work and pray and try and put it all into this big black box and then squeeze my eyes and hands together and HOPE. But I must hope lightly, because I've learned that the Lord gives and takes away according to His will, not mine. I've learned that no amount of prayer can change God's timetable: sometimes it aligns with yours, sometimes it doesn't. Finally, I've learned that you can't manipulate God. You can only do your part in trying to be the best person you can be and from there, it's God's call. But you can't manipulate Him to change your destiny or how He will use you, and you certainly can't manipulate him into rushing. You must only be prepared, humble, ready to go when he calls and patient to wait when he doesn't.

For now, I wait.