Rating: 
Summary: A Life Changing Experience
Review: Prayer of Jabez is a great book to help you pray in such a way that is more effective. It actually works, you'll be amazed.
Rating: 
Summary: False translation
Review: I started to read the book but found out Mr Wilkinson had translated Jabez' prayer to fit the tenets of his book instead of writing a book that presents the tenets of Jabez' prayer. I suspect that's because Jabez' prayer -- as presented by every common Bible version, including Keil & Delitzsch -- is a whiney complaint for self protection. Mr Wilkinson changes it into the very opposite. Such intellectual dishonesty by an author is not to be honored, even if his writing supports the things I believe -- which this book does.
Rating: 
Summary: Prayer is not a magic spell
Review: There has been a lot of excitement over the book 'The Prayer of Jabez', by Bruce Wilkinson. I must confess to you, my sister and brother readers, that I am not one who is excited about this book, on the whole. It presents difficulties for me theologically and methodologically. I will probably have legions of people decrying my treatment of the book. There are redeeming qualities about the book, to be sure, but overall it gives me great unease. Permit me to tell you why. Before the reader even gets past the preface, there are problems here. Is Wilkinson saying there are prayers that God doesn't answer? Is Wilkinson saying that, by following the form of the prayer of Jabez, you will get whatever you ask for? Perhaps he would retreat to the security of the answer that 'God sometimes says "no" to our requests in prayer.' If that is true, then this prayer becomes no different in that respect than any other prayer. The prayer of Jabez is not a magical incantation to force God to make or do whatever it is one asks of God. Now, one of the benefits of a book like 'The Prayer of Jabez' is that it does, in fact, encourage people to pray. It brings God back into the lives of people, inside and outside of the church, who have somehow put God aside. It reorients the life and redirects attention toward something more worthy. To that extent, it is worthwhile. Most things that do this are worthwhile. 'The Prayer of Jabez' also helps to demonstrate another point about prayer - it need not be long, drawn-out or complex. Prayer can be simple. In fact, in my life some of the most effective prayers have been even simpler than the four-part prayer of Jabez. What having a prayer in parts does do is to highlight a process, a development, a continuing progression of prayer that for many people is a new idea. So again, there is something worthwhile here. But one also has to confront, early on in the text, that the prayer of Jabez is effective because Jabez was an honourable and worthy man. The passage from the book of Chronicles that Wilkinson highlights begins with 'Now Jabez was more honourable than his brothers'. This sets up a works-righteousness model that leads the reader/pray-er to think that, unless a great deal of effort is made toward being worthy, there will be no efficacy of the prayer. Aren't the prayers of the unworthy heard by God? Who among us is worthy? True, Wilkinson makes some strives to overcome this danger later in the book, but this rather gets lost in the shuffle for most readers. More attention needs to be devoted to the freely-given grace of God, that is available regardless of worthiness, regardless of our status, and regardless of our form of prayer. My concern for the text is that it seems a plea for selfishness, and it appeals to many people at that level. While Wilkinson does state that this increase should be sought and then used for the furtherance of the will of God, not enough attention is devoted to this point. Stockbrokers will see that it is okay to ask for higher values. People will view it as okay to ask for more of whatever it is they want. And this book gives example after example of instances where this prayer did precisely that. It is a wonder that there are no examples where the prayer of Jabez didn't work. There are lots of minor examples and several major examples of success, but one must forgive my insistence on some research methodology here - where are the counterbalancing examples? The prayer of Jabez worries me in that is seems different in character and tone to the prayer I consider to be far more central - the Lord's Prayer. In this prayer, we are not asking God to increase our territory and give us what we want. We are asking to be given what we need. Particularly in the English translations (but also many other languages), the Lord's Prayer is immediately a common prayer, a communal prayer, -- the use of the word our at the outset makes it one that concerns us all, and the petitions continue to include the community - give us today our daily bread. The prayer of Jabez, by contrast, is individual. No wonder it appeals to those in Western society who hold the good of the individual as sacrosanct. Ultimately, it is the assumption of the magical quality of the prayer of Jabez that makes me uneasy. It is as if you can conjure up whatever you want with a simple formula. The book starts on this theme and ends on this theme. That is what most who talk about the book seem to carry away. What happens if you don't get your wish? Does that mean your faith isn't strong enough? Does that mean you aren't worthy enough? Does that mean God doesn't care about you? These are important questions that get lost in the shuffle as readers around the world get starry-eyed with excitement that finally there's a way to make God do what we want God to do. I hope that those who have a good experience with the prayer of Jabez will look to the God of grace rather than the magic spell. I hope that those who do not have a good experience with the prayer of Jabez will not feel abandoned by, and thus in turn abandon, God and prayer. To the extent that this book renews the importance of prayer and consideration of God in one's daily life, it is worthwhile. However, it suffers serious flaws which, in my opinion, make is a dangerous book for the inexperienced, who seem to be the primary audience.
Rating:
Summary: I understand.
Review: I get what the last reviewer is saying. We are all blessed by God, so there shouldn't be a discussion. But it is those who choose to accept His salvation that matter most to God in the end. After all, if there was one recipient today who deserved more from God through the "Prayer of Jabez" than anyone else, it would be Jesus. That is, he should have been a Bill Gates, Albert Einstein, and Samson all wrapped up in one. But God chose to make Jesus's life humble, and as a sacrifice for all. Hence, "The Lord's Prayer," not the Prayer of Jabez.
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Summary: To set the record straight once and for all...
Review: To set the record straight once and for all: God blesses all people according to "His Plan", and not necessarily as an outcome of a particular prayer or request. Do you know which Bible verse(s) validates this? If not, it's your homework. And using the search engine to look up key words such as "reward" or "prayer" won't help. "Trivial Pursuit/Bible Quiz" could never answer this question. Search the Old and New Testament. It's not that obvious. He blesses us based on His Plan, even if you're not a Christian. And besides, if this weren't so, many non-Christians could never have prospered in this world mentally, physically, or economically. You couldn't have an atheist/agnostic stumbling across an oil field or inheriting a vast fortune. You couldn't have a non-Christian--who hates Christians with a vile passion--in the high seat of government or the judicial system. You couldn't have the Rockefellers, Einsteins, and Oppenheimers of this world if it weren't for a Christian God blessing them as well. It is all brought about because our Lord and Savior allowed it to be so--according to "His Plan"--not as a result of our selfish desires and thoughts.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: I read this book because I had heard so much about it. I was skeptical from the start. I think it has some valid points but I beleive that a full book on four or five lines in "one of the least read sections" of the Bible can't help but add to the scripture. I would recomend the book to Christians and those who would like to see how a certian segment of the Christian religion thinks.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting ... but not critically vital!
Review: When I purchased this title, my home church was caught up in it's appeal. But my reason for purchasing was to review with an impartial eye. Though I respect both Wilkinson and Hendricks and found the book to have some good stuff in it, I was disappointed to discover their omission of a critical portion of that passage of scripture. Jabez' prayer was not for personal wealth, health and prosperity but "that he would not cause pain to others". Too much of modern Christianity is focused on what we can get from God and others. Unfortunately for the cause of Christ, the real world easily sees through this attitude. IF the church today would truly model Jesus Christ example ... it would be a completely different place and we Christians wouldn't be so focused on what we can get but what we should give because of how much Jesus Christ has already given us. Let's try servanthood ... I know this Guy who knelt to wash dirty smelly feet ... what a nasty job that must've been!
Rating:
Summary: Me, My, Me, Me, I
Review: Why are people still reading this book and saying this prayer?
Don't you think that referring to yourself five times in such a short prayer sounds selfish? Do you think that is what God wants? It may work for a while (just like a sugar pill)because people will concentrate on increasing their wealth and influence. But it does not address the underlying problem of the need for forgiveness of our sins and our obligation to help & pray for others and to honor & pay homage to the God who makes all possible (that is his will). If you want to know how to pray, the best place to start is Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. The disciples asked Jesus how to pray and he taught them what most call the Lord's Prayer, but I like to call The Prayer of Jesus. An excellent book on the subject is "Praying Like Jesus" by James Mulholland. There are many book that are about or contain discussions of every word of this wonderful prayer.
Rating: 
Summary: A short book on a long topic
Review: I read The Prayer of Jabez as part of a women's Bible study. It has its merits, and almost all of the other women who read it were very enthusiastic about it. For myself, I happened to develop a very poor opinion of it, partly because of the out-of-context and inappropriate interpretations that these enthusiastic women produced from it, which ranged from... ...the mother who said that God would give her a huge house if she prayed these words for 30 days... ...to the group leader who said that the Bible says that Jabez built furniture for a living (his occupation is unknown)... ...to the school teacher who said she learned in Chapter 3 of the book that the Bible directly quotes Jabez as saying "Surely I was born for more than this!" (it doesn't). The author does go to some trouble to explain that the blessings that one should seek are the blessings of effective service -- not more money, a nicer house, or anything materialistic (although one can easily see how a stable job or a reliable car, etc., could be instrumental to increasing the opportunity for effective service). However, it's a short book, and that brief point (they're ALL brief points) appears to have been lost on many readers. If you are a serious reader -- a voracious, thoughtful, engaged, educated reader looking for a well-reasoned, well-written, well-supported, carefully balanced treatise on prayer -- then you will probably be unhappy with the blithe and superficial treatment that Mr. Wilkerson has given to his lifetime of prayer in this book. On the other hand, serious readers with genius-level language skills and a solid background in the topic are not the market for this book. The target audience is "normal," busy, television-oriented people with short "soundbite" attention spans, average language skills, and a deep conviction that God wants to punish them instead of help them. Even non-readers read this book. If you're looking for something short, light, and emotionally inspiring, then this book will fit probably the bill. The reading level and style is about on par with Chicken Soup for the Soul, and its brevity will appeal to most: I read the whole book in less than an hour. There's nothing particularly new or particularly challenging in it, but most of the concepts in it are the sorts of things that we could stand to be reminded of. If you already understand something about the theology of prayer and the non-materialistic nature of God's goals for people, then you are unlikely to mis-understand the book and lead yourself into serious error (e.g., the prosperity doctrine). And you may leave the book feeling empowered to ask God for more opportunities to serve, and you will also likely be more aware of these opportunities when they appear.
Rating:
Summary: Warning! So You Want to Buy this Book?
Review: PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW BEFORE YOU BUY!!! I highly recommend this little book for every Christian to buy or borrow from the library, "The Prayer of Jabez" by Bruce Wilkinson. He talks about a working step-by-step formula on how to pray for yourself for anything or should I say an "extraordinary" life. DO YOU WANT TO HAVE AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE? Then read on! Please do not ignore this little book because it has become one of the bestsellers of the 21st Century. Although, I would ask that you should consider getting "The Cult of Jabez" by Steve Hopkins as well. My recommendation is that you get both books, read "The Prayer of Jabez" first and then "The Cult of Jabez". May the Spirit of the Lord help you decide.
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