Rating: 
Summary: Life Changing
Review: "The Prayer of Jabez" has certainly changed my life. My Christian walk is certainly not the same as it was two months ago when I purchased this book. By following the example of this unknown man's prayer found in I Chronicles 4, God has brought blessings into my life as He has expanded territory by bringing strangers into my life who just needed someone to talk to, to share with and to pray with. I have been blessed! Thank you, Bruce Wilkerson, for "The Prayer of Jabez!"
Rating: 
Summary: Fastfood Christianity
Review: Much that is wrong in the Church today can be summed up in this book. It is me centered Christianity, it's formulaic, vague in it's descriptions and misapplied because of this. The opening statement that God always answers this prayer should send up extremely large warning signals. The God and Creator of the universe is not a divine bellhop at our beckon call waiting to shower us with blessings and expand our territory, (and wallets). This book is shallow at best and falls in line with much of the formulaic Christian approach, (books by Hybels, Barna, Maxwell and those of the purpose and seeker driven mentalities) that is so popular today. I would avoid this book for the following reasons.This book lacks the understanding of true spirituality and devotion to God. To say that - seeking God's blessing (p. 49) is our ultimate act of worship - is really the ultimate act of selfishness and flies in the face of Romans 12:1, Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy , to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Excellent books that promote a deeper devotion to God are; Seeing God by Gerald McDermott, A Testament of Devotion by Thomas Kelly, and Leap Over a Wall by Eugene Peterson. This book is me centered. The application to this prayer revolves around self, Lord increase my territory. The illustrations are sometimes material and one is particularly insulting. Wilkinson supposes that had Jabez been a woman she might have asked for the Lord to add to her family. I know many couples personally that are unable to have children. What do you say to those couples when they have prayed this prayer over and over and yet nothing. The answer to this can be found at the end of the book (p. 87), You can hang the prayer on the wall of every room in your house and nothing will happen. It is only what you believe will happen and therefore do next that will release God's power for you and bring about change. His answer really is a lack of faith. Sometimes God says No, my grace is sufficient. He said it to Paul. There are inferences in the book that God waits on us to ask for a blessing before acting, the divine bellhop notion. This could not be farther from the truth. This book is extremely vague in its description. I often asked myself, what does the author define as a blessing, is it right to challenge God with this prayer, who gauges what a - profoundly important and satisfying life He has waiting - is? I could go on and on. I worry that because this book is so shallow that many people will become shipwrecked spiritually when the formula doesn't pan out. What of trials? They are a blessing also, though we don't think of them as such. They draw us closer to Christ. They allow us to identify with his suffering. They increase our dependency on Him and they allow us to minister to others that experience similar circumstances (James 1). And yet do we view trials as blessings or are blessings always positive as inferred by Wilkinson? A completely different prayer is the prayer of the apostle Paul. I want to know Christ and the power of His Resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming more like Him in His death (Phil 3 :10). A much deeper prayer that has context. Not one that must have a context built around it. Lets not have a prayer life that puts God in a spiritual fast food diner waiting for us to swing by and order up some blessings and having God reply, would you like me to supesize that?
Rating:
Summary: Unfortunate failure
Review: Sad to see a Christian man like Bruce Wilkinson come to this level. A "name-it-and-claim-it" theology that would appeal to the TBN crowd. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, and we have it documented for us by them. Unlike the Prayer of Jabez, there is nothing obscure about the Lord's Prayer. For good reason. God is not obscure and He does not keep from us what we truly need. Bruce asks his readers to read his book repeatedly. Why? It would have been more honorable for him to direct his readers to reread of the Bible. He tells his readers to tape the Prayer of Jabez inside their Bibles. Why? It's already in their Bibles. (Of course, people who don't read the Bible wouldn't know that.) Who is Bruce writing this book to? It seems that those who are not familiar with the study of the scripture from which Bruce cut this small text out of would find this mini-tome of any interest. His "amplification" of the Prayer is akin to a postmodernist mini-narrative. Mystical and focused on the individual's motives and desires. Unfortunate turn for Bruce, or has the real Bruce Wilkinson stood up?
Rating:
Summary: The Prayer of Jabez
Review: This is an incredible little book. It is short and easy to read and carries a tremendous amount of information about how to change your life spiritually. I will re-read it many times, hoping to absorb the full impact of what this book tells us..Thank you Bruce Wilkinson
Rating:
Summary: Only A Prayer
Review: This book really touched me in many ways. The prayer is so simple, yet so profound. Wilkinson brought out something that I, along with many Christians, have been missing--the belief that I can pray for myself. So many times, we ask for everyone else, but forget to ask God to bless US, to enrich US, to increase OUR territory. My concern is that many will seize upon this prayer as a "make me rich" prayer, but God put it there for a specific reason and led Wilkinson to share his story. I will follow his recommendations and begin including it in my everyday prayer life. I only trust it makes half the difference in my life that it has made in the authors.
Rating:
Summary: Not wooing, but awful biblical interpretation
Review: Wilkinson uses astounding appropriation of a text on how to pray that leaves too much room for self centered self seeking "expansion of property and wealth". One would think that if a book is to be written about a biblical prayer as the foundation of a series, that the Lord's prayer would be more appropriate. Complete fantasy and misuse of scripture. If you buy it, read it with a salt shaker handy.
Rating:
Summary: inspiring
Review: I have not personally read this book yet, but i have had first hand knowledge about how a little known man in 1st Chronicles made a prayer that affected millions around the country, this book has come up in more conversations than i can count, and it has inspired almost everyone i know who has read it. I would advise anyone who wants a more simple walk with God to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Little Inspiration Goes a Long Way
Review: You'll be tempted to read this small book quickly, but don't! Take your time to absorb all the meaning it contains. There is a lot of wisdom from this obscure figure in the Old Testament, Jabez, and the prayer that inspired this book. As an inspirational writer myself (NEW PSALMS FOR NEW MOMS: A KEEPSAKE JOURNAL, Judson Press), I can fully appreciate the lives that are being, and will be, touched by this little gem. Peace be with you.
Rating:
Summary: Be Ready To Take On New Challenges
Review: This book was a gift to me, though I had kept hearing about it and planned to buy it. It is an easy read - at least it was the three times I read it. The prayer is a simple prayer - very akin to the Our Father. But it was written long before Jesus' time and without benefit of knowing Jesus' love. And hidden away in the "begats." I do pray the prayer daily, but it is not something I say by rote, and it certainly is not a "gimme" prayer. Well, I suppose that depends on how one interprets and understands the word "blessing." I pray it, and it is incredible how God has "enlarged my territory" and given me opportunities to serve Him. It is an endless parade of seeing and recognizing how I may serve Him. This is a new awareness for me. I love the little book.
Rating:
Summary: Great for Helping to Focus Your Prayer Life
Review: This is a small book with a BIG message! The four main components of Jabez' prayer really address the core areas of effective Christian living like a laser beam. I own countless Christian books that take sometimes hundreds of pages to say what this does in but a few. The result? My prayer life has improved greatly because the clear, short message succintly summarizes the kind of relationship I want to have with God. This is a great book to help you if you are looking to go deeper into your relationship with God.
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