The prayer
of Jabez is found in the Bible, in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.
Besides this, no other reference to the person of
Jabez or this prayer is found in Scripture.
9 Now
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers,
and his mother called his name Jabez, saying,
"Because I bore him in pain." 10 And
Jabez called on the God of Israel saying,
"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!" So God
granted him what he requested.
This
account was not widely known until recently, when
Dr. Bruce Wilkinson published a book in May 2000
entitled The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through
to the Blessed Life. Wilkinson's book gained
almost instant popularity, showing up in national
bestsellers book lists and appearing in a variety
of forms such as companion books, testimonial
videos, a music CD, daily devotional guides for
all ages, desk and wall calendars, stationery
items and inspirational posters. That popularity
isn't apparently confined to confessed Christians
either, as the testimonies come from believers
and non-believers alike, and the items for sale
can be found in almost any mall, bookstore or
department store in America.
Generally,
testimonies regarding the effect of the Prayer of
Jabez as interpreted by Dr. Wilkinson are glowing
stories of unusual blessing that came in response
to following a formula or pattern found in this
short prayer.
To see this
yourself, check out some of the testimonies found
on the Internet.
Inspite
of the testimonies, there is not an overwhelming
consensus as to the validity or credibility of
what Dr. Wilkinson presents. Few question the
prayer itself. Those in disagreement question Dr.
Wilkinson's interpretation or emphasis.
Response
from Kjos Ministries
An in-depth
analysis
A
minister's analysis
Leadership
Journal comments
A New
York Times book review
Banner
of Truth book review
Alliance
Net review
Faddish
idolatry?
Whether
or not you've read Wilkinson's book or any of its
companions, still you should ask the question:
"What should the prayer of Jabez mean to me?"
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