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The Prayer of Jabez Audio

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I don't necessarily buy Christian books because they are best-sellers. Much of what sells is just "Pop Religion", which I differentiate from true Christianity. But I took notice when I saw that this book was being listed on the "secular" best-seller list right behind that Cheese book, so I decided to take the plunge since the book is relatively inexpensive.

One thing I appreciate about "The Prayer of Jabez" is that it spotlights a scripture that 99 out of 100 Bible readers totally miss. I was a bit wary at first, because the prayer starts out as a "Bless Me" prayer, and could be contstrued as being rather selfish. But the author makes clear that asking for God's blessing in this case is not a thinly-veiled get-rich-quick idea. It's important to allow God to bless you the way HE wants to bless you. Of course, that is just the first point of the prayer, there are three more to follow. If nothing else, it will help you get over any guilt you may have about praying for yourself. HOWEVER...

Don't fall into the trap that this prayer is the be-all and end-all when it comes to praying. After all, when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He didn't say "Well, let me tell you about a little prayer by a guy named Jabez..." It can certainly be incorporated into your daily time of prayer, but if the prayer of Jabez is ALL you ever pray, then yes, it becomes extremely selfish. There are many prayers in and outside the Bible that can be used as well, not to mention your own spontaneous prayers, for others as well as yourself. And this is not to be used as some kind of Christian mantra. In short, this is a pretty good little book, but keep it in perspective to the whole of your devotional life.

I had heard about this book quite awhile ago but hesitated at picking it up, since fads tend to make me wary. I eventually received it as a gift--an enthusiastic gift--and so I sat down and decided to see what the buzz was all about.

After reading THE PRAYER OF JABEZ I can see why it is so popular. The core message of the book is appealing, both to those who understand it (and are seeking God's will, and holiness) and to those who don't (and are seeking personal gain). Wilkinson immediately makes it clear that the prayer of Jabez is not about selfish greed (and has nothing to do with the name-it-claim-it preachers). He states "when we seek God's blessing as the ultimate value in life, we are throwing ourselves entirely into the river of His will and power and purposes for us. All our other needs become secondary to what we really want--which is to become wholly immersed in what God is trying to do in us, through us, and around us for His glory." So right away we can see that many of the superficial criticisms of this book here are misguided and inaccurate.

I admire THE PRAYER OF JABEZ for the importance it places on prayer. Prayer is a vital element in the lives of all Christians and anything that encourages more time with God is a plus. I also applaud how Wilkinson challenges us to take a step of faith in our prayer lives and move out of our comfort zones. Praying this prayer, and having it answered in the affirmative, would be a fantastic and desirable thing in the life of any Christ follower.

The one problem that I do have is that God doesn't always answer our prayers in the affirmative. Sometimes he says "wait," and sometimes he says "no." A simple glance at the Bible into the lives of men like Job, Paul, and Peter shows us that is true. Wilkinson should've dealt more realistically with that possibility. While I'm pleased to see how God has moved in his life and answered his prayer, not all of us will have that same experience. Disappointment with God, and dealing with God's silence, is a very real reality in the lives of many Christians; even those who would faithfully pray a prayer such as this.

That being recognized, THE PRAYER OF JABEZ does do a great job of showing us the POSSIBILITIES of a more focused and faithful prayer life, and for that it should be applauded. To complete the picture, I recommend reading it along side Philip Yancey's REACHING FOR THE INVISIBLE GOD. I give it Four Stars.

To Wilkinson the key is that Jabez stumbled upon the right formula for asking things of God. His emphasis is on Jabez finding the correct method, instead of on God and His Sovereignty. However, for Jabez the focus of Jabez's prayer was on God and His provision and protection. Jabez simply asked and God gave him what He requested - not because Jabez said the right thing or manipulated God into granting his request.

The danger is that Wilkinson's teaching leaves no room for God to say "NO" or "WAIT." It simply puts God in a box. However, the Bible clearly teaches that God has the absolute right to do whatever He pleases with us. And yes, that may mean that God says no to our prayer requests. This debunks Wilkinson's claim that sin in our lives is the only thing that will stop the repetition of Jabez's prayer from working. We must remember that God's purposes for us and our lives are far beyond what we're able to comprehend, and we can't know the mind of God and we can't coerce Him into blessing us. He can't and won't be controlled or manipulated. If He could, then He wouldn't be God, and He wouldn't be worthy of worship, honor, and praise.

To pull just two quotes from the book, Bruce's states "I want to teach you a prayer that God ALWAYS answers." and "I believe it (prayer of Jabez) contains the key to a life extraordinary favour with God."

Regarding the first point, where in scripture does it state that praying the prayer of Jabez will always get God's ear, and require Him to answer? According to the Bible I study and read, when Jesus taught us how to pray, he taught us "Our Father, which are in heaven . . .", not "Oh, that You would bless me indeed . . .".

Second, where in scripture does it teach us how to get extraordinary favour with God? Again, the Bible I study and read teaches that God is love. There is no height, nor depth, nor length to the love of God. Since God already gives us ALL love ALL the time, how can we get even more favour? We already are God's children and have as our inheritance ALL of God and ALL of what God offers.

Ponder this. There are no formulas to God. There is but one God and he can not be put in a box and be our personal genie. God has the absolute authority to do whatever He pleases with us, even if that means God says no to our requests. God's purposes for us and our lives are far beyond what we're able to ask for, or comprehend. God can't be coerce into blessing us. He can't and won't be controlled or manipulated. If so, God wouldn't be God.

Now, if Bruce instead taught about a deep, abiding, loving relationship with our Father who will sustain us through heartaches, failure, and success, then this would be a great book. Instead, Wilkinson's teaches a shallow "results-oriented" faith that is supposed to guarantee success, as opposed to a deep, abiding, loving relationship with our Father that will sustain us through heartaches, failure, and success.

When Jesus prayed to God, he said, "Not my will but yours be done." But Bruce Wilkinson turns the good prayer of Jabez into a selfish prayer ("Not your will but mine be done") that is just the opposite of the example Jesus left us.

This book proposes to give us a simple prayer from an obscure part of the Bible that we can repeat every day. It is suggested that we will experience great blessing from God in response to that prayer. (As if God could be manipulated by our prayers!)

The prayer of Jabez is short, so maybe that is why the book is so popular: "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." Most people don't have any more time for God than what can be uttered in two quick pleas as they brush their teeth. Or, maybe it has become such a top seller because Wilkinson makes such a big deal about the fact that God will grant our prayers just like he granted the request of Jabez. I guess the prayer of Jesus doesn't make such a good pattern for daily prayer because God didn't grant his request (please note my sarcasm, since a careful understanding of the Bible shows that God really did answer Jesus' prayer and I really do think Jesus' prayer is a much better model to follow).

For a man who has tried to teach the church the unity and storyline of the Bible (Wilkinson is founder of Walk Thru the Bible Ministries and co-author of Talk Thru the Bible: A Survey of a Setting and Content of Scripture) I am surprised to see how Wilkinson takes this prayer so out of the context of the Old Testament, and uses it to tell the masses just what they want to hear. My only hope is that he will now use all his popularity and money to tell the secular world what I trust he still really believes is most important.

Wilkinson fails to show that Jabez was an Israelite who, when he prayed, asked God for something he knew God had already promised in his covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3 - "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing . . . and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Jabez knew that God blesses people in order that they be a blessing to others. Ultimately, God blessed all peoples through Abraham's descendant, Jesus. It's too bad that Wilkinson's book isn't about how we can bless others with the blessings we have received from Jesus.

The real prayer of Jabez should also be understood in light of Exodus 34:23-24 - "Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD, the God of Israel. I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the LORD your God." When Jabez asked God to enlarge his territory, he was basically asking God to give him the freedom to leave his land in order to worship God without having to worry about those who might covet and steal his land, crops, and possessions. I don't think most of us in America have to worry about our land when we go to church on Sunday. It's too bad Wilkinson's book isn't about asking God to give us the grace to worship him freely and without the hindrance of all our worries. Rather than teaching us to trust God amidst our worries, Wilkinson's book teaches people to do what we already do too easily - to trust in ourselves and in the "blessings" that we think we need.

If you want a prayer to live by, why not pray the prayer that Jesus instructed his followers to pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." We would learn and grow and experience so much more of God's blessings if we prayed this every day.

For dealing with pain, why not pray the prayer that Jesus prayed before he went to the cross: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me. But not my will but yours be done." God knows so much better than we do what blessings we really need. When we pray to be free from financial hardship or physical suffering, perhaps God wants to use those things to lead us to a much more lasting blessing. It's true that God promises to grant believers in Jesus whatever they ask in Jesus' name. But note the requirement that we pray according to God's will. Thank God that he doesn't grant our every request!

If you want a book on prayer, particularly the Lord's prayer, I would rather recommend C. S. Lewis's Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer

If you want a book on dealing with pain, I recommend Tim Hansel's You Gotta Keep Dancin', or C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain, or C. S. Lewis's A Grief Observed

If you want a book on God's desire to bless us, you have got to read John Piper's Desiring God

This is a great book for studying a Bible character, learning about a prayer that worked for him, and discovering WHY. Dedicated Christians know that God wants a relationship, not a daily mantra; therefore, Wilkinson's prescription for "Blab it and Grab it" theology comes across as somewhat shallow, and his simplistic approach doesn't allow God the possibility to answer our prayers with a "No," or a "Not now." Don't buy this book because you think Jabez's prayer will change your life; instead, buy this book to learn better how you can trust God the way Jabez did, and to learn how to change your own prayers and build a closer relationship with the One who has all the answers. This is a quick read, and there is much to value here; unfortunately, many readers are forgetting that God doesn't want our mindless repetitions...He wants our hearts.

As a pastor, normally, I am very cynical about something that becomes popular with the Christian Church at large, but Bruce H. Wilkinson's new book, The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life is a superb work of Biblical interpretation, storytelling and encouragement. I read it through in two hours and immediately bought a copy for everybody on my church's Administrative Board.

Do read it critically, as the prayer is no substitute for reading the remainder of the Bible or having a relationship with God through the completed work of Christ, but I believe you will find an understanding of the premise behind the prayer of Jabez just as important as understanding and internalizing the Lord's Prayer.

I tend to be wary when someone hints that a certain formulaic prayer is bound to catch God's attention. My ears will perk up when that person says this prayer ought to be prayed "every morning" and that a book about this prayer should be "reread once each week for 30 days" (p. 86). While most of the general principles given by the author are quite valid--praying with faith and power--I still have some reservations about this short 92-page book that is sweeping through many evangelical churches. Having personally heard Dr. Wilkinson speak on this topic, I am concerned that many sincere believers will somehow get the wrong idea that God affirmatively answers all prayers offered in the order of Jabez. In fact, one could easily get the impression that God never says "no" to Dr. Wilkinson, and I don't think he really intended to communicate this idea. (Or did he?)

The Bible very clearly says that God will answer our prayers according to His will and not according to our personal whims or desires (1 John 5:14). Sometimes God does not give us what we ask for, and that was OK for Paul who claimed to have prayed three times about a "thorn in my flesh" (2 Cor. 12:7); however, Paul was told "no" each time because God's "strength is made perfect in weakness." Now, with that being said, I want to go on record as saying that I certainly believe in prayer. Christians are absolutely commanded by scripture to pray for blessing, for enlarged territories, for God's hand to be with us, and for staying away from evil. I just hope The Prayer of Jabez doesn't become a magical mantra that is misused by sincere seekers after God.

I heard about this book at a business conference this past weekend. While visiting a friend on Monday, he had two of the books stacked on his desk when I reached for it exclaiming that I just heard about this book, he remarked, "It's yours, I bought 20 to give as gifts." Little did I realize that this book would force me from my bed at 2:15 a.m. to begin my own personal pilgrimage with the Jabez Prayer. I feel compelled to write this review so that others may be so touched by the power of the Holy Spirit available to those who read the book with an open and hungry heart.

This is the kind of next level thinking, that is so greatly needed for the Church of Christ in this time of "next level living". Thanks to the author of the book, for being a true hammer in God's hand, because a mighty blow was struck with me. "Oh that God 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". All to His Glory, that I am even now experiencing the Victory.

I enjoyed reading this book and can get some good from it, but taking all into consideration, I must give it a thumbs down. The book's theme seems to be that God will honor this prayer above a prayer that we utter from our own heart. That is not consistent with Jesus's teachings. When I think back to what Jesus tried to bring to earth, he led his ministry away from the ceremonial and the ritual and towards an honest and personal relationship with God.

There is a message that this prayer can be used as some kind of lucky rabbit's foot to receive a bigger share of God's blessings.

Yes, the Prayer of Jabez is in the Bible, but I believe it is there for us to learn from the character of Jabez and to study Jabez's motives and his relationship with God. To imply that repeating this prayer daily will bring us success is no more scriptural than saying that building an ark will bring a flood.

Yes, I should focus more each and every day on what more I can do for God. However my focus should not be on what is in it for me.

This book offers some wonderful points, but they need to be understood in context. I don't think the author of this book intended to imply a prosperity gospel. Rather, the point of this book seems to be that if you are willing to step out in faith and accomplish great things for God, acknowledging your desire through this prayer, that He will bless you for it. It's easy to construe from the examples (not the least of which is Jabez himself) that this is all about material blessing. But this book has inspired me and others in my church to pray for our church in faith that God will "enlarge our territory", that is, bring more people in and increase our influence in the community, and we are starting to see our prayers answered.

To be honest, you would probably do well to just skip the book and read your Bible. After the first chapter, I was thinking, "OK, I get it already." The prayer of Jabez is very short and easy to memorize; just start praying it with a humble heart and an open mind and if nothing else, it will broaden your perspective. Still, as a pretty and useful little harcover, it makes a nice small gift for friends and relatives.