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Summary: The Jabez Prayer
Review: Bruce Wilkinson's "The Prayer of Jabez", a popular bestseller that deals with the Jabez Prayer (from 1 Chronicles 4:10) which basically encourage Christians to pray for God's blessing. It is a simple prayer asked by a man named Jabez who prayed to God that He would bless him, expand his territory and that the Lord's hand would always be with Jabez and keep him from evil. God did grant Jabez for what he requested. Wilkinson showed how this simple prayer can be extremely powerful. Wilkinson explains each of the verses (of the Jabez Prayer) and how we can apply it to our lives. I thought it was interesting how Wilkinson noted that Christians take for granted the word "bless" as it is so overly used. He pointed out that asking God to bless us is actually "crying out for the wonderful, unlimited goodness that only God has the power to know abour or give to us." It is a short and easy to read book with a simple yet important message.
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Summary: A very misunderstood book about ministry
Review: I have read this book at least two, possibly three times. It is an easy and quick read. It is not intended to be complex nor hard-to-understand. Yet so many haven't the first clue as to what this book is all about. It's about "enlarging one's territory", which Mr. Wilkinson states over and over and over again refers to one's ministry for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Nowhere in this book does Mr. Wilkinson ever say that the prayer of Jabez is more important than the Lord's Prayer. Nowhere in this book does Mr. Wilkinson even remotely insinuate that the prayer of Jabez is more important than our individual and unique everyday conversations with the Lord before we go to bed or while we're driving or in the shower or at church. I've had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Wilkinson speak in person. I remember him saying that once a woman came to him and said that after reading his book, she only prays the prayer of Jabez and no longer prays the Lord's Prayer. He actually told her that if that was what she got out of his book, then she needs to get rid of his book and never read it again. What really boggles my mind is the number of people who say that this book espouses name-it-claim-it theology (or prosperity gospel). Actually, Mr. Wilkinson is adamantly against such teaching. When he encourages the reader to ask the Lord to bless him/her, he implicitly means to bless with ministry opportunities. (Few, if any, prosperity teachers ask the Lord to bless them with ministry. It's usually, "Lord, bless me with another 'seed offering' so I can send out the anointed prayer cloth and afford my private jet.") I agree that the "Prayer of Jabez" craze has gotten well out of hand. For instance, this book was so simple that a 13-year-old could understand it. So why need there be "Prayer of Jabez for Teens"? And "Prayer of Jabez for [fill in the blank]"? But the craze is first the fault of the consumers who went crazy over a book which is not intended to make one go crazy over; and second the fault of the (I'm assuming Christian) publishers who responded to the fans and sacrificed ministry principles for excessive profits. It's okay to pray that the Lord will bless you. Whatever the blessing - whether it's a new ministry, or a new Corvette (yes, I'm afraid sometimes the Lord does bless us with material blessings) or a new child or a new disease (unpopular though it may be, sometimes the greatest blessing is a ticket Home!) - it's always going to be something with which we can glorify Him.
Rating:
Summary: a solid read
Review: Covering a topic that is often avoided or thought of as selfish, this book wonderfully teaches on asking for God's blessings in your life. More importantly, it calls for a new mindset in asking for God's help to advance His kingdom by witnessing to others (a crucial point that many negative criticisms fail to recognize/note). There are testimonies upon testimonies of how people's lives have changed after encountering Bruce Wilkinson and his teaching. It is a quick read; worthy of your time and consideration. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because it is perhaps too brief... of course it is always impossible to be completely comprehensive, especially without being overly academic.
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Summary: Reminds me of Twain
Review: Remember Huck's ruminations about prayer? Miss Watson said "pray all the time, get this that & the other thing". Huck wondered why nobody ever got anything they could sell at the market. The Widow Douglas said "Pray for spiritual gifts." Huck decided to let it go.
Read Huckleberry Finn. Don't waste your money or time on this hick religiosity.
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Summary: Wish I could put -5 Stars..........................
Review: Uh, Bruce..............
Remember Jesus? I don't think praying for personal success was anywhere at the top of His list. You are one scarey Christian.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I bought this book, thinking that it is a bestseller worth reading, but I was greatly disappointed. Not that I don't agree with Bruce's message - I don't like its presentation. The book proposes a question, "Is it godly and right to be successful, and to pray for personal success?" Its answer is "yes". It fails to notice, however, that for many people this is self-evident. If you're among them, don't buy this book. The book is addressed to a particular category of readers: Evangelic or Fundamentalist, "Bible-believing" "born-again" Christians. If your views are different from the ones of those religious groups, don't buy this book. It is heavily overloaded with references to "sin", "salvation", "witnessing", "ministry", "evangelism", "Satan", and so on. Which makes it almost useless for non-Christians or more liberal believers. With plenty of good self-help literature at the market, I wonder why this particular book, containing so little food for thought, draw such an attention. I do think, though, that Bruce Wilkinson is a nice guy. He tried to do his best, and he did it. I don't blame him, I just want to warn those who may not like his religion.
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Summary: A good apetitizer, but not to be taken as a main course
Review: For Christians or Catholics who dont appreciate the power of prayers and seldom pray at all, this can be a good book to start with. It's well written and is an easy read. Meanwhile, many reviewers complain against it as too positive thinking, pagan/materialistic. out of context....In fact, the author did stress on the importance of praying, with relatively extensive coverage in this tiny book, for letting God do great, ministerial and god glorifying things through, and not by, us, (Hope you understand the difference), and that we should have high senstivity to know, and to act on what God wants us to do in so given divine opportunities. However, I cant fully agree to the author's perspective because there seems to be some fundamental disagreement between his interpretation of Jabez's prayer and that of the Lord's prayer. For interested parties, please read "Lord, Teach Us to Pray: A New Look at the Lord's Prayer" by Arthur Paul Boers.
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Summary: the beginning of a great adventure
Review: 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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Summary: Yes, it can work!
Review: Dear Father in Heaven, I'm not a praying man, but if you're up there and you can hear please expand My property and make sure nothing bad ever happens to Me - because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and doggone it people like Me...
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Summary: The objection that others may have.
Review: Review on "The Prayer of Jabez" and "A Life God Rewards". The intent to convey the beauty of a prayer or a righteous life that God honored (or is honoring) is wonderful! But the objection that a few others have that Wilkinson should address in future editions VIGOROUSLY is what happens when a Christian doesn't experience the blessings that they so desire, whether it be for healing or financial blessing. As we are all aware in life, we see an abundant amount of people become blessed who may not be Christians and yet, at the same time, see our own Christian brethren lose his/her job, even a home, family and/or marital support. If you deny this, turn back to the Bible and look at the trials that many of God's people went through. Bottom line is this: (Some would argue) Since God poured His blessings upon King David (even after all the brutal sins that were committed), why wouldn't they receive blessings "above and beyond" what King David was anointed? Because it is additionally based on God's will, along with our prayer requests. So, it isn't just based on our prayers or the way we live life, but how God chooses--by His own will--to bless His children.
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