Rating: 
Summary: God as Vending Machine?
Review: When I first noticed "The Prayer of Jabez" climbing its way up the besteseller charts, I was excited to see a Christian book which seemed able to reach a wide public; however, I soon began to hear criticism of the book from many friends and theologians whose opinions I respect, so I decided that I ought to read it and make up my mind for myself.This I did, and what I read appalled me. Based on his own outrageous extrapolation of a few sentences taken from one of the Old Testament histories, the author argues that the quintessential relationship with God consists of us asking Him to give us whatever we want, and getting it. Thus, the measure of an individual's faith is the quantity of material possessions which God has given him; faith in God merely means that you are willing to let him give you whatever you want. Not too long ago, I would have taken for granted that most Christians would see the utter hypocrisy behind such a statement, but after seeing this book's sales, I am not quite so sure as I once was. How can Mr. Wilkinson account for the myriads of great men and women in the Bible who gave up their material possessions for their faith? Would he really have us believe that there is more to be learned from Jabez than from Job, Isaiah, or even Jesus? In the trendy buzz created by Mr. Wilkinson's book, it is becoming all too easy to overlook another prayer, prayed by another man, in a later part of the Bible. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray to God, taught them not to say "enlarge my territory", but to say "Thy will be done," and later in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the night before he was to be crucified, Jesus himself said to God " . . not as I will, but as You will," even though he knew fully well what God's will was in that case. God's will was indeed done in that particualr instance; Jesus was crucified, even though he had prayed the night before for "this cup [to] be taken from" him, but he did not neglect to add "Yet not as I will, but as you will." It is awful to consider what might have happenned if Jesus himself had taken a page out of Mr. Wilkinson's book and asked God simply to "keep me free from harm so that I will be free of pain," as Mr. Wilkinson would have us pray. Of course, Jesus would never have done that, because he knew that God, by His very nature, knows more than we do about our situations, and His will is in every instance something which we as Christians should strive to act in unison with, since that is what He specifically asks of us anyway. This said, I do not believe that "The Prayer of Jabez" has a leg to stand on theologically, and its only staying power derives from the fact that it tells people something that they want to hear, regardless of its falsehood, and it proposes a neat and tidy solution to all of life's problems which conveniently winds up giving everyone everything they want.
Rating: 
Summary: Unusual at first but.......
Review: A truly significant and meaningful short book. While many books offer inspirational guidance--this book truly transcends even that effort----it is a must to read, own and to give to others.
Rating:
Summary: The Prayer of Greed!
Review: I actually give this book 0 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Complete Change In My Life
Review: I was raised with the Lord in my life. While not ever having religion pushed down my throat, I came to know, BELIEVE and trust that everything that happens in our lives comes from the Lord. I pray every night and often during the day, but I am not in any way a "fanantic bible thumper." I am a man who simply puts all his faith in God and Christ. Sometimes not as much as I should or as often as I should. It was sort of like when I was flying jet attack aircraft off of carriers in the Navy. When things went well, it was heaven. When they didn't, I prayed things would, and while sometimes hairy, always came out for the best, since here I am. In June of 2001, I heard a sermon in church about this prayer and the book was mentioned. I was so intriqued that I immediately went out, got a copy, and read it three times (it's very short and fast reading) before I realized that this was the most important book I had ever held in my hands, next to the Bible and the manual on how to fly my jet. I had never even dreamed of the concepts of prayer that it gave me. The simple concepts that I had never even dreamed of. Jabez not only asked the Lord for help and to allow him to help others through the Lord's hand upon him, but the Lord GRANTED HIS PRAYERS. I have prayed this simple four line prayer at least two to three times a day since the wonderful day of the sermon. I also go to bed each night and read one chapter, which gets me through the book every week. Each time I read it, I get something new, something I didn't see, or couldn't see, yet it is not rocket science, it is so SIMPLE, that when you read it, you're going to hit your forehead mumbling, "I could have had a V-8." As if out of a movie plot, my life, the rewards given to me, began to come from almost every direction, not only in terms of success in my work, but in every aspect of my life and my interactions with people in general. Then, for some absolutely unexplanable reason, I even went back to the church where it started for me and had them make me thirty cassette copies of the sermon as well as thirty, laminated cards with the prayer on it, which they handed out after the service on that bright Sunday morning. I then, went and got thirty copies of the book and made little rubberbanded sets, always trying to have one with me, either in my car, home, office or brief case. Since then, I have run across people dozens of people who feel they are running on empty, as wells as to those who think they own the world. In every case, if while talking with them,they give me the slightest indication, however slight that they could use a nudge in their connection or lack of with God, I merely give them my little bundle, sort of what I would like to think the guardian angle in the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life," would have do. asking for nothing in return. In over half the cases I never see the person again, and can only hope that this book gift from God helped them. I almost every other case, the people I gave the book to have all talked to me, thanking me for giving them this tiny book that changed their lives, overnight. I can only tell you, that this is the most wonderful gift God could have ever have given to me, since I get the unexpected reward of learning that God allowed me to put Him in their lives in such a simple way, that their their concept of prayer has changed forever and the sky is now truly the limit. I'm actually embarrassed to be so happy that someone led me to this book and that now I can the same for others, changing their lives for the better, forever. This book and prayer will be a part of my life for as long as I'm on this tiny globe. My friends, this book, this prayer works and it in ways you never even dreamed of. I have never written a review of anything in my life, but felt compelled to this time to try and get some of you out there to spend the cost of a couple of bags of potatoe chips and get this tiny treasure. It was written FOR YOU, NOT TO YOU. Please take advantage of it and my the Lord always keep his hand upon you. Steve
Rating:
Summary: Selfish-minded consider this to be a book about selfishness
Review: After reading The Prayer of Jabez, I began to hear the critics and their thoughts of this book being about praying selfishlessly. I asked myself who could come away from the book with those feelings? The answer is clear: Only those accustomed to thinking with a selfish heart and mind. To me, and most others, I'd guess, The Prayer of Jabez is an uplifting book about a man who prayed to God for His blessings. What's wrong with that? As a parent, nothing pleases me more than for my child to ask me for help. And what child in his right mind would ask for a curse? I truly believe it pleases God when we ask Him for His bountiful blessings. Bruce Wilkinson had the courage to write from his heart, and write honestly, the same way God wants us to pray. I read the book in one sitting and would recommend it to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Small But Powerful
Review: Excellent book, especially for a young Christian starting a life of prayer. The way the author takes you through the book is an experience you'll never forget. I never knew that such a short passage of scripture could be so powerful.
Rating: 
Summary: A little let down by this book.
Review: Overall, I thought this book was exceptional. How the author got so much from just one chapter of scripture was amazing!
I thought the idea of having a positive attitude about the Lord and asking to be blessed and to ask the Lord for more opportunities to serve Him was nice. However, I had to give this book a rating of four... I think that it's a little on the
"name it and claim it" side. This book was well written and had some very nice stories of how the Lord has blessed Mr. Wilkinson throughout his life.
Rating: 
Summary: Yeah, it is a "feel good" book!
Review: This little 92-page book seems to have spurned a great debate. The discussion is between the feelers and the thinkers; between those who feel their way through a walk with God and those who have everything in their head. Like some other reviewers (mostly the thinkers, no doubt!), I am a bit dismayed by the hoopla surrounding this book, and the back cover certainly sells it as the quickest fix since instant coffee. As one of those thinkers I was skeptical right away. But I also struggle with prayer. I am often not motivated to pray and find myself not understanding prayer. I can't say I disagree with the principles in the Jabez prayer. We should ask God to bless us, enlarge our territory for ministry, and keep us from evil. Wilkinson has found some important ideas for Prayer today tucked away in 1 Chronicles! What is missing, in my opinion, is a tie to Jesus. By failing to mention Christ, Wilkinson makes the Jabez prayer seem like it can stand on its own and change a person's life. This is a shame, because as I just related, the principles are good. I suggest blending these principles with the words of Jesus. Kay Arthur's Lord, Teach Me to Pray is a good place to start, and I look also to the prayer chapter in John Piper's Desiring God for more important teaching on prayer. Without input from the Gospels, this book is almost a self help book. "Just __________ and everything will be fine!" I fear Wilkinson has created some hoopla, and a fleeting "feel good" book.
Rating:
Summary: The Prayer of Jabez
Review: The book was outstanding. People have put God in a box for far too long. He longs to bless us. The first thing you think of when you hear blessed is material. But that's not what the book is about. If you take the time to read it, it means bless me in deed, to increase God's kingdom. But also, God wants to bless us in every area in our life. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being blessed financially. Money is not the root of all evil, the love of money is. Jesus became poor so that we could become rich. If you continue to read the scriptures, you will find many scriptures where he says that he wants to bless us. Ask for those things that he wants to give us.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for people truly devoted to Christianity
Review: If you really want to change your life and give it all up for Christ then this is the book for you. If you want a quick fix for your problems then go some where else.
| 
