Rating: 
Summary: Jabez Who?
Review: Bruce Wilkinson seems to have half the Christians in American daily chanting the prayer of Jabez. Wilkinson promises that if we read his book, we will discover how to release the miraculous power of God in our lives. Excuse me, but didn't Jesus already promise that in the person of the Holy Spirit? Doesn't anyone else find it odd that Jesus never once mentions Jabez? He had a wonderful opportunity when his disciples asked him how to pray.Do we really need to go back and recite an ancient prayer under an old covenant to release the power of God in our lives? Evidently not, because Hebrews 8:6 says that Jesus is mediator of a new covenant which is superior to the old. Hallelujah! Since Jesus has made the old covenant obsolete (Hebrews 8:13), the question is not do we need to pray the prayer of Jabez to release God's power but rather why would we even want to? It's an obsolete prayer! One question kept nagging me all the way through Wilkinson's book. As a Christian, if I wanted to recite the same prayer every day, shouldn't it be the Lord's prayer? As mentioned earlier, Jesus had the perfect opportunity to use the prayer of Jabez as a model prayer when his disciples asked him how they should pray. Instead, Jesus gave them words that sharply contrast with those of Jabez. The Lord's prayer begins and ends with an exaltation of our heavenly Father. While Jabez is busy whining me, me, me, Jesus is bestowing glory and honor on God. When Jesus does get to personal requests, they are simply for the needs of the day, not for an enlarged territory. Jabez was asking for an abundance of material possessions and wealth, not spiritual opportunities to witness. No matter how hard Wilkinson tries to rewrap this prayer package in spirituality, it still turns out to be bad Bible interpretation and terrible theology. If you really want more opportunities to witness, just use your own words to ask God in plain English. He understands that perfectly well. But probably the biggest boo-boo Wilkinson makes is to state that Jabez was made honorable by his prayer (p.76). If you read 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, you'll see that Jabez was honorable before he prayed, which is probably why God granted his request in the first place. To me, this was the key verse of the whole prayer and deserved a lot more ink than one short chapter toward the end of the book. It comes across almost as an afterthought. So why would Wilkinson intentionally move the most important verse of the Jabez prayer account toward the end of his book and misrepresent it to boot? I don't know. Maybe he didn't want to have to deal with the unpopular notion that we should clean up our lives before we expect God to hear our prayers, though Wilkinson did mention it in passing on page 85. James 5:16 says, "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." and from 1 Peter 3:12, "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." Skip this book and read "The Life God Blesses" by Jim Cymbala instead.
Rating: 
Summary: A great and interesting read
Review: My sister passed this book on to me to read. It wasn't what I expected. I am really loving this book. Its very interesting and holds your attention. Why not ask God to Bless you and to keep you from evil. "Please Lord, Bless me" should be the beginning of everyones prayers.
Rating: 
Summary: Simple Message Goes Hollywood
Review: This book is worth reading, and Bruce Wilkinson makes it clear from the outset that he is not advocating a formulaic prayer to somehow coerce God into granting His blessing. Wilkinson is not, in fact, a "health and wealth" advocate, although some have pigeon-holed him as such for what he has written here. This book takes clearly into account the heart-set and motivations of the person praying the prayer and his or her faith in or relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Anyone can pray the Jabez prayer every morning, but the deeper issues concern whether we ourselves know God personally, whether we believe His promises, whether we desire God's blessings, and whether we are willing to change our lives in response to His answers. This book is not wonderful; neither is it terrible. It is popular simply because it has caused a stir and caught the public eye. If anything, "The Prayer of Jabez" reminds us how rich is the Bible, how generous is God's love, and how powerful are the prayers which are firmly rooted in the truth of Scripture.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Health and wellness Christian View.
Review: This book is 93 pages of drivel. It would seem that Wilkinson has received an answer to his prayer....Look at all the marketing rights there are to this book. This one book has spawned devotionals, calendars, Prayer of Jabez for teens...Next we will see Prayer of Jabez for the mentally challenged, Seniors etc. ITS MARKETING AND CAPITALISM GONE WILD. Now to my actual criticism of the book. The book seems to be telling the reader that by praying this prayer, one will all of a sudden be brought into a world of overwhelming blessing. Wilkinson gives the impression that this prayer is like a spiritual American express card, giving both worldly and divine riches. Maybe instead of sending foreign aid to countries we should just send copies of the prayer of Jabez...
But seriously, the one prayer that we should add to our daily supplications to the Lord is the Lord's prayer. And as it happends this prayer is free.
Rating: 
Summary: Only the ignorant can attack this book!
Review: What is your problem!?! I can't believe how many people have attacked this book! It's sweet, to the point, and offers a fresh perspective on a lesser known biblical figure (NOT a LESSER figure, a lesser KNOWN figure). It's not meant to be a panacea for all your woes. It's a great story and interesting insight. Of course it's not meant to be your salvation. Of course repeating the "magic words" do not conjure up God to do your bidding. As an intelligent Christian reader, I saw the message clearly. I feel bad for those who didn't because it was a great point. I believe that God is and abundant God that wants the best for us, (see Jeremiah 29.11). There is nothing wrong with memorizing and contemplating words of scripture to enhance your daily life. And lastly, for those of you who think Jabez is TOO OBSCURE, Get real! Every word of the Bible is there for our edification. God put it there for a reason! To other intelligent readers - pick up this slim volume, and enjoy the interesting and elucidating tenets within! A paradigm shift and a joy!
Rating:
Summary: Deserves To Be Read More Than Once
Review: Bruce Wilkinson has been praying the Jabez prayer which appears in l CHRONICLES 4:10 for over thirty years. The most inspiring part of his book describes the testimonies of the author and others whose ministries have prospered in remarkable ways as a result of praying the prayer. The book is suitable for any Christian who wants to do more for Christ and live a larger life. As an example of the kind of blessings available to those who pray the prayer, Wilkinson tells the reader about his WorldTeach which is an attempt to build the largest bible-teaching faculty in the world with a goal of 120,000 bible teachers in fifteen years. Now in its fourth year this ambitious program is striving to be in fifty nations with 12,000 teachers by the end of 2001. Wilkinson writes with clarity and the result is an inspirational message. THE PRAYER OF JABEZ deserves to be read more than once.
Rating:
Summary: This book Changed my life
Review: I was raised going to church and have been a member for years. After reading this little book, my whole life has changed. Somehow, God used the message to break through the cold shell surrounding my heart and I finally got IT. I have accepted Jesus as my personal savior and have an intimate relationship with him. The author makes the Bible come alive with his insightful comments. I have bought about 20 copies and given them to my family and friends. The book has a powerful message about how we can receive the Grace that God has provided for us.
I highly reccommend this for anyone who wants a closer relationship with Christ.
Rating:
Summary: Disbelief? Take the Challenge! I did...
Review: After recieving The Book (The Prayer of Jabez) from from a long time friend whom which I was visiting...I read the entire book in the time it took to Fly from Tampa to Massachusetts. At first I was a bit leery. I do tend to be bit skeptical when it comes to "Quick Fix" deals. Though to be fair and not judgemental...I pressed on to read the book in its entirety. I found myself to be extreamly "moved" while reading the accounts of Dr. Wilkinson. I was very enlightend and felt a sense of peace within myself. This is not easy task. I decided that THIS is what I am supposed to share with the other women in my Church's Womens Retreat this November...so I went on-line to order the materials to do so. I felt a huge pit in my stomach when I proceeded to read the various contrasting reviews. Some saying that this book is nonsense. How can you believe a man that is interpreting the Bible to the extent of asking God for Blessings of wealth Etc. I say to all of you... READ THE BOOK and JUDGE FOR YOURSELVES! I did not interpret the Book in this way at all. I feel what Dr. Wilkinson was saying... Ask God For Blessings... allow me to broaden my boarders so that I may reach others... Please be with me the entire way, because I am not sure I have the strength to go it alone... and last but not least, Keep me from Evil so that God can continue to work through me. Somehow these others have interpreted this Book to be a book of asking God for Wealth and Power! I ask... Where is YOUR mindset?! Dr. Wilkinson makes reference to those whom have recieved great blessings from God just to in turn be tempted into believing they have accomplished these tasks on their own. SATEN IS HARD AT WORK! Just waiting to entice us all into believing WE are the great ones, so we may fail! I can not stress enough to open your heart and not be tempted to shut out this book before you open it! In the meantime I must tell you that I have shared this book with my Husband and WE HAVE experienced the miracle of GOD! We have been Blessed Time and Time again! I wish to thank Dr. Wilkinson for opening our eyes to this form of prayer. The skeptics say... Dr. Wilkinson brags of his accounts throughout the Book, I say, Brag? YES! FOR GOD! As for his personal accounts, I say he is just witnessing. Is this not Gods Will? BOTTOM LINE- Judge this book for yourself, and as for all the hype of the other novelty items...If this is the way that God sees fit to finance the ministry of Dr. Wilkinson so that he and his people can spread the word of God to as many people as far and wide as possible...who are we to judge! I belive that the Prayer is not a set prayer... But a guideline to apply to our everyday life so that we may help our fellow man. I myself have only been praying in this way for a very short time... but I can tell you that I HAVE SEEN THE MIRACLE OF GOD! And no matter how many reviews I read that tell me that this is just another Hoax...I will still believe in the truth of God and Prayer! God Bless You ALL!
Rating:
Summary: Yes Our God is the God who blesses His People
Review: Most of the time we Christians do not receive because we don't believe. We don't believe because we are taught that God of Bible wants us to be poor. In fact God of Bible is the God who blesses and keeps on blessing. He bestowes Spiritual, Material and Physical blessings if we are ready to receive them. This book is all about receiving what God has in store for us by faith. A great book declaring the glory of the Great God.
Rating:
Summary: Shallow book of prayer
Review: The problem with this book is that the prayer is focused on Jabez, someone who is an unknown in the Bible. Granted that God blessed him with land and so forth, but we, the general public nor do the scholars know much about the history of this man. We don't know much in detail about the context with which he offered these prayers and so it's best that we leave it alone. There are so many other prayers that the author could have focused on like King David's Psalms. At least with him, we all know what his life was like and the context where these prayers came from. Why not the best prayer of all, the Lord's prayer? Why Jabez? The author's choice to use Jabez' prayers is very puzzling and, in fact, disturbing because the verse from which the prayer was taken can be easily interpreted by non-Christian or someone who is very young in the faith as health-and-wealth gospel. Basically, it can be interpreted as God being some cosmic vending machine where if you incant the right words, success will come along your way. There are other great books on prayer such as Jim Cymbala's Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. Don't waste your time and money on this book. It will only lead you on wild goose chases in your pursuit of God, and will bring a lot of disappointments from the misplaced expectations that this book gives. Blessing in life isn't about getting into the right schools, getting the promotions, meeting the perfect spouse - though these are blessings, the true blessing in Christian life is having been forgiven and knowing that you're in a relationship with God. To base your definition of what a blessing is other than your relationship with God will rob you of the one true blessing. Please, please, don't read this book. I hope this helps.
| 
