The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life

by Bruce H. Wilkinson

Hardcover, 2000

Call number

242.722

Publication

Multnomah Publishers (2000), Edition: 1st, 93 pages

Description

It s a timeless prayer that produces timely results! Bruce Wilkinson takes readers to 1 Chronicles 4:10 to discover how they can release God s miraculous power and experience the blessings God longs to give each of us. The life of Jabez, one of the Bible s most overlooked heroes of the faith, bursts from unbroken pages of genealogies in an audacious, fourpart prayer that brings him an extraordinary measure of divine favor, anointing, and protection. Readers who commit to offering the same prayer on a regular basis will find themselves extravagantly blessed by God, and agents of His miraculous power, in everyday life.

User reviews

LibraryThing member neverstopreading

I don't read many non-Catholic devotionals. But I am more familiar with this one since it was greatly popular among Protestants in the years before I became Catholic. I didn't read it until recently. My parents, who are Baptist, have it at their house for decoration, so I decided to read it.

Books

like this are popular among adherents to the so-called Prosperity Gospel, which seems to be more popular during strong economic times. The idea is this: God is waiting to give us all sorts of material blessings (health, wealth, land, etc.) if we would only ask him. If we don't ask him, we won't get these things.

As a Catholic, I believe that while Jabez's faith is to be commended, and that while there is nothing wrong with asking God for material blessings, it remains that "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Tim. 6:10) and that Jesus says "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God" (Lk. 6:20) and "woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation" (v. 24). So we need to exercise prudence in praying such prayers, and seek the reason why we need material goods. (Wilkinson never reflected on why, from an historical perspective, Jabez might ask for what he did.)

The implication of Wilkinson's beliefs expressed in this book are that if you do have X, Y, Z, you lack faith or you are not praying properly. Conventional Christian wisdom says, "God will give you what you ask for if and only if it is in conformity with the will of God" but Wilkinson's message says, "God will give you what you ask for if and only if you ask for it."

Wilkinson tells a story at the end of the book where he prays that his flight is late so he won't miss it. He believes that the flight is made late by God so he can speak to a woman in the terminal. But I have a hard time believing that this MUST be the case. First, God could have arranged a meeting another way (by, for instance, helping Wilkinson be early to the terminal). Second, I have a hunch (and this is only a hunch) that at least one person prayed that the plane wouldn't be late.

I have met Christians who subscribe to this reading of the Bible and refuse to help the poor and the needy because they should help themselves. It is true that God helps those who help themselves, but he does this through the hands of other people. That common saying (which is not found in the Bible) does not preclude us from helping others.

Whenever we read the Bible, it must be read in context of the whole of Scripture. Unfortunately, Mr. Wilkinson seems to neglect the Beatitudes and much of the teachings of Jesus, especially as recorded in the Gospel of Luke.

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LibraryThing member ShortyBond

Not bad. Not very informative. Didn't change my life, but it was a good perspective.

LibraryThing member Librarynymph

Great little book that taught me to expect big things, and nt to settle for the small and the safe.

LibraryThing member lifespringworc

Presents an examination of the prayer of Jabez and discusses the changes that occurred in the author's his life after he decided to follow Jabez's example and ask God to bless him.

LibraryThing member OCMCCP

Are you ready for a great adventure? Are you tired of spinning your spiritual wheels? Are you ready to submit to God's will for your life? Then here is the place to start. The Prayer of Jabez is not about asking God for more material wealth. It is not about placing specific personal demands. It is

about asking for God's maximum blessing in your life--whatever, wherever, whenever, and however He wants it to be. It is about using those blessings to become a person of influence for His glory. In a compact, friendly package, Bruce Wilkinson shows us how a simple prayer can - and will - help us become the person God wanted us to become. Here's the catch -- what God wants for our life and what we expect don't always match. Approach this book with a willing, submissive heart and you will experience miracles. This little prayer has transformed my life. In three years God took me from a no-name manufacturing manager to an internationally acclaimed author and speaker. Has it been uncomfortable? Yep. Has it been a roller coaster ride? You bet. Has it been worth it? Definitely! God didn't put you here to be ordinary. Isn't it time you took advantage of the blessings He has in store for you? It all starts with one little prayer... Larry Hehn, Author of Get the Prize: Nine Keys for a Life of Victory

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LibraryThing member DaleVanWyhe

Very good reading book. Short and to the point, and full of truthful advice for us all.

LibraryThing member Simple.life

Reading Bruce Wilkinson's The Prayer of Jabez brings mixed feelings. On the one hand, the author encourages Christians to dream big and aim high for the Lord. This is good teaching, no doubt about that. Christians would be a blessings to the people around us if we have the assurance that the Lord

indeed blesses us daily and tremendously. Therefore we should boldly ask the Lord for His blessing. On the other hand, however, we do have to recognize that God does not always answer our prayer with a "yes" -- even for ministry opportunities. Whether a prayer is answered with a "yes" or "no", the decision is ultimately in God's hand because He is sovereign. From a human standpoint, this is mystery.

I am glad that the author does mention sin as a barrier. Without that chapter, his views as expressed through this book would have been seriously one-sided. Even with such a mention, the book nevertheless shows obvious signs of "prosperity theology."

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LibraryThing member Isabelmore

Great book to be study side by side with the bible.

LibraryThing member DVerdecia

This book, to me, was a Huge Disappointment. What the book was about, is about a prayer. The Author, takes the prayer right out of the Bible. And it is a good one. It is filled with hope. It is filled with a great positive attitude. The author breaks it down frame by frame with his own personal

experiences and why he believes in the power of this Prayer.

3 quarters of the book are powerful. I sincerely believe in the power of the subconscious mind. I believe that if you tell your subconscious anything, even in prayer, it will respond to your commands.

Then, at the end, he screws the Pooch. See, the one thing that Christians are predictable at, if nothing else, is that they give God all the praise. All the crap that happens they blame on Satan. (Which does not make sense to me as God CREATED EVERYTHING - Satan Included) So,right there, at the last quarter of the book, I took it for another piece of Christian Propaganda.

If you are into this type of stuff, then this book is for you. Me? I have wised up millions of times since 3rd grade......

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LibraryThing member JenniferRobb

This book focuses on the prayer of a man named Jabez. Jabez's words are recorded in 1 Chronicles 4:10. Jabez asks God to enlarge his territory, to show favor to him, and to keep him from evil/temptation. The author then goes on to break down each section of the prayer and show how he has used this

prayer in his own life and the results. Wilkinson argues that if we ask, God will give us a greater mission field than what we could envision on our own. He will also bless the field he gives us. Wilkinson warns that if we are doing this, we are infringing on Satan's territory and so, we should expect some pushback. This is why we also need to remember to ask God to keep us away from evil (rather than just asking Him to see us through evil). We should try to flee from or avoid evil when possible to do so.

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LibraryThing member regularguy5mb

Honestly, the author lost me when he claimed he was once on a flight and the men on either side of him suddenly and inexplicably pulled out "porn." I'm willing to bet it was a Sports Illustrated, Maxim, or FHM type of magazine, but to call that "porn" is far fetched.

So, this book was left in my

Little Free Library. Actually, four (4) copies of this were left in my Little Free Library, so someone really wants to get the message out on this one. I mean, it's an interesting enough read, finding this obscure little prayer from a Bible figure mentioned only once and basing a solid part of your faith in it, but some of the experiences Wilkinson maintains occurred while he was using this method are a little too fortuitous. Not to say that they didn't happen, but did they necessarily happen just when he was asking for them in his prayers?

I find it interesting as an in-depth look at one particular Bible reference, almost like a very specific literary analysis. I'll more than likely divide the copies up between my Little Free and some others around town.

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