The Prayer of Jabez for Teens (Breakthrough Series) [Hardcover]

Bruce Wilkinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2001 | Series: Breakthrough Series

Today's teenagers are learning to pray, and this tool is for them! The impact of The Prayer of Jabez has been phenomenal -- with reports of changed lives, expanded ministries, and massive spiritual breakthroughs among believers everywhere. Now teens can also receive extravagant blessing as they discover, in peer-based stories, supporting scriptures, and interactive questions, how to pray the remarkable prayer of the obscure Bible hero in I Chronicles 4:10. Teens seeking God's best for their lives will respond to the challenge of asking for blessing -- and being "blessable" before the Lord. Students, youth groups, and future church leaders will welcome The Prayer of Jabez for Teens. Includes group study leader's guide!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Even some who are unmoved by The Prayer of Jabez and The Prayer of Jabez for Kids (reviewed above) may genuinely appreciate the teen adaptation. Like its parent, this version is a sermon for those already committed to evangelical beliefs. In style and substance, however, it improves upon the original. Here the promised blessings are clearly spiritual: "Please, Lord, expand my opportunities... because I want to touch more lives for You." The authors distinguish miracles from magic and link the Old Testament prayer to Christian teaching. The Jabez prayer itself, with its pleas for blessing and expansion, seems particularly appropriate for young adults facing major life decisions. Despite a surfeit of exclamation points, the writing is simple and direct. A 10-page study guide is a further lure to youth groups who, it's safe to predict, will buy this one by the truckload. Ages 12-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Bruce Wilkinson is the founder of Walk Thru the Bible Ministries and Walk Thru the Bible International. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Prayer of Jabez and Secrets of the Vine as well as 30 Days to Experiencing Spiritual Breakthroughs and numerous other books. Bruce and his wife, Darlene, live in Atlanta, Georgia, and have three children.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 116 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books (June 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576738159
• ISBN-13: 978-1576738153
• Product Dimensions: 4.7 x 0.5 x 6.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #801,265 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bruce Wilkinson is recognized as one of the world's foremost Christian teachers and speakers. But he is best known as the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller, The Prayer of Jabez, and other bestsellers including A Life God Rewards, Secrets of the Vine, and The Dream Giver. He is the founder of WorldTeach, a global initiative to train Bible teachers in every nation. Wilkinson also founded Dream for Africa, a humanitarian agency that has taken on AIDS, orphan care and hunger in sub-Saharan Africa. Bruce and his wife, Darlene, have three children and six grandchildren. They live outside Atlanta..

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gentle Encouragement for Teens to Be Closer to God, July 18, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Prayer of Jabez for Teens (Breakthrough Series) (Hardcover)

Teenagers often feel left out, like a nobody with no future. For that reason, the story of Jabez (whose mother named him "pain") should be relevant and appealing. From this unpleasant beginning, Jabez came to receive many blessings from God. In this book, Dr. Wilkinson makes the case that if God is there for unpopular nobodies like Jabez, He must be there for all of us!

Dr. Wilkinson has a nice manner for speaking to teenagers. He recalls his own thoughts and hopes during the teenage years. He also relates stories of how teenagers have made an enormous difference for God in assisting adults and other teens. Suddenly, you will feel like someone is talking to you who cares about you, as God does.

"This little book starts with everything we put in the original, bestselling The Prayer of Jabez . . . ." " . . . [T]hen we ask the question: If God wanted to change the world with a teenager like you, how would He want you to pray?"

The challenge also goes out in this form: "Are you ready to do one thing that could change the rest of your life?"

As much as the Bible teaches me, I find that I learn even more by hearing about the interpretations that others make of the Bible. Those interpretations are most beneficial when they include witnessing one's own experiences. Dr. Wilkinson has provided us with many soulful insights from 30 years of reciting a little-noticed Old Testament prayer in this inspiring book.

One reason that it is nice to hear what others say about the Bible is that some of them read Hebrew, which I do not. Knowing what the original text said should provide more clues to its precise meaning. Dr. Wilkinson has provided insights from the Hebrew texts to help us understand what the translations mean.

The Prayer of Jabez is found in 1 Chronicles 4:10 following a brief introduction of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:9. This text is in the middle of a long list of about 500 Hebrew names beginning with Adam in providing a geneology. The casual Bible reader might never notice this material.

Since there is so little text, the plain meaning of what is found here can certainly be confusing. "Jabez" means "pain" in Hebrew. Jabez was named this by his mother "Because I bore him in pain." Since almost all babies bring pain to their mothers, it is hard to know exactly what was different about Jabez, if anything.

In this book, there is a nice emphasis on the special problems a teenager would have if his name was Pain.

Jabez is remembered for having his prayer answered. The prayer was: "Oh, that You 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!"

Dr. Wilkinson provides several perspectives on this prayer that added much to my understanding of the Scripture. First, Mr. Wilkinson interprets this as meaning that the person praying is asking to play a bigger role in achieving God's purposes. That was a new thought for me. I tend to feel that each of us is kept pretty busy trying to do God's will in whatever roles we already have. How can we do more? Obviously, only with God's help. By taking on even larger roles, we probably move closer to a state of humility by knowing that we cannot possibly succeed without Divine guidance and assistance. So what seems like a prideful thing actually turns out to be the opposite. What is your reaction to that?

Second, I was startled a few years ago to hear a group of rabbis and ministers talk about how the traditional concept of the moral life was to never be tempted. I feel tempted all of the time, and overcome temptations only after sincere struggles. Dr. Wilkinson points out that the best way to avoid evil is not to be tempted in the first place. "Without temptation, we will not sin." So this text encouraged me to ask even more for being kept away from evil. Naturally, the Lord's Prayer does that, but this important point had been partially lost on me until I read this book.

Beyond those Biblical insights, I also learned from Mr. Wilkinson's experiences. He takes on big tasks, uses the Jabez prayer, and keeps track of how things work out. I, too, believe in the power of prayer. It had never occurred to me to keep a journal about my experiences with prayer. I am sure that there is much to be learned.

My own interpretation of the book and the prayer is that it is just another example of God's listening to and answering our prayers. So I felt encouraged to pray, rather than to use only this specific prayer. I did find myself revising some prayers that I am fond of to incorporate elements of the Jabez prayer.

There is a good section that points out that today we can also call on Jesus and the Holy Spirit, which were not available to Jabez.

Dr. Wilkinson also sets a good example that I intend to follow. He walks up to strangers and says, "How can I help you?" Now, I do that with people who call me on the telephone and people I work with. It had never occurred to me to do so with strangers, but it is probably more helpful with strangers. I look forward to the experiences I will have as a result.

If you are like me, it will be hard to tell where Biblical interpretation ends and witnessing begins in this book. I'm not sure it's all that important to draw a line between them. The key thing is to feel closer to God and God's wisdom and love. I certainly did after reading The Prayer of Jabez for Teens.

The book ends with a fine study guide that contains the big ideas of each chapter and some questions for bringing the lessons home to each reader.

I pray that you and your family will too! What else can you pray for that may serve God's purposes in more ways that you have not considered before?

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grace and Seven Children, July 13, 2001

By 

Oscar Whitescarver (Gastonia, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Prayer of Jabez for Teens (Breakthrough Series) (Hardcover)

For several days, they read the book together, Grace and seven children. They prayed. By Monday, Amy (11) memorized the passage. They believed what they were praying.

At 3 AM on Wednesday, a car crashed into their house. "You must have been praying", said an officer. "At that speed, it should have been fatal." The car side-swiped one tree, then another before it touched the ground and slid into the house.

Each child described for me their shock of being awakened by the crash. Each associated the influence of their praying like Japez to the miracle of that night. Two weeks later they recognized the driver visiting their church.

I believe my grandchildren and their mother stepped outside the routine of their daily lives into the enlarged territory God lets us experience when we ask for it.

Granddaddy

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars *Prayer of a teen-age girl*, August 29, 2001

By 

Jonathan R. Schmidt (Wylie, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Prayer of Jabez for Teens (Breakthrough Series) (Hardcover)

The Prayer of Jebez for Teens (from The Breakthrough Series, by Bruce Wilkinson) is a definite compliment to its predecessor, The Prayer of Jebez. Through this small, 116-page book, Dr. Wilkinson goes into great detail on the prayer a man from the Old Testament of the Bible made. Also mentioned in this entertaining, enlightening book is how making this man's (Jebez) prayer your own will impact your life and how it influenced other's lives as well. Finally, during this review, I will mention how the author was blessed by praying Jebez's prayer and how I believe it has helped me.
The account of Jebez is found in I Chronicles 4:9-10, amid the numerous genealogies that can make even the strongest of Believers want to skip the book entirely. It is important to note that Jebez never had been (and never was again) mentioned at all in the Word of God. Yet, he and his prayer are noteworthy. His time as "man of the hour" is recorded, as follows: "Jebez was more honorable than his bothers, and his mother named him Jebez saying,
`Because I bore him with pain.'
Now Jebez called on the God of Israel, saying,
`Oh, that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from
harm, that it may not pain me!'
And God granted him what he requested."
One way we can see that Jebez was blessed is that he was 1) spoken of in God's Word, and 2) in the family line of Jesus Christ. The author bases his writing of The Prayer of Jebez for Teens around I Chronicles 4:10.
Before and after publishing his beliefs on this portion of Scripture, Bruce Wilkinson spoke at numerous colleges and seminars encouraging teens and adults to pray this prayer themselves. Many wrote to him explaining the amazing miracles God had been doing in their lives. One was from a lady named Sara who states, "...you have no idea how shy I am, but let me tell you what's happening on my campus since I began to ask God for a larger life..." She then continues her testimony reporting her leading to the Lord two of her friends and her belief that another, who had spoken to Sara about some things that had been on her mind, was going to be the next for salvation. One important entity to observe is the fact that the author records his own experiences relating to praying the Jebez prayer. Dr. Bruce Wilkinson is a talented writer who "practices what he preaches," if you will. He gave the statistical testimony that he began his ministry with 25 conferences a year and it has grown to 50 conferences each weekend. The Lord has blessed him and others in many ways that you must read to learn of. In my own life, I have prayed a similar prayer: "God, please bless me most definitely! And give me more opportunities to tell everyone about You, and please be with me every day of my life. Keep me from harm and temptation so that I won't get hurt/embarrassed and neither will anyone else." Since I read the original The Prayer of Jebez and The Prayer of Jebez for Teens I've told one person about Christ, several about this book, and many people of the churches I attend and their ministries. I hope and pray that God can and will use both my strengths and my weaknesses to glorify him that my life might give even a glimmer of a reflection of His glorious radiance. Please meet with God about His will for your life and enjoy finding it with a little help from Bruce Wilkinson's book, The Prayer of Jebez for Teens.