Rating: 
Summary: Prayer is vital
Review: I have recently read the book "The Prayer of Jabez". I have read the Bible through many times and seemingly overlooked this passage, for the most part. The book emphasized the importance of this short prayer of Jabez and took the focus from the "bless me materially" mentality to the "bless me to be a blessing" mentality. It would have been great to have coordinated this prayer with the Lord's prayer as other reviewers have stated. This, though, seemed not to be the purpose. One big plus for this book is that it is concise, easy to read, and interesting. The comparison with Lord's Prayer would have been a vast undertaking. It doesn't seem that the author is downplaying the importance of the Lord's Prayer but he is also advocating this type of prayer. That would appear to be beneficial, for if it provokes people to prayer, focusing on petitioning for blessing for the purpose of having a greater influence for God and His Kingdom, how can that be detrimental? Over all, the book , taken in context and with the whole of Scripture, is an encouragement to Christianity.
Rating: 
Summary: "And God Granted His Request"
Review: This book is great, it shows how to make your prayer life become better. Some reviews in here appauled me. This prayer is not to become the center of your life. And the entire prayer if NOT dedicated to receiving blessings. It ask's for more people to reach the gospel with, and for God's presence to be with you, and to keep you from temptation. Now if you think praying that is bad, then I wonder how your life with God is. Even though we may think we do not deserve blessings, which we dont, God longs to give them to us. All we have to do is cry out, and we will receive God's blessings, which He knows will help us in our walk with him. We should not be asking for God to bless us with a new car, or a million dollars. These are not blessings to indulge ourselves in, they are to further the kingdom in heaven. God knows your heart, and if you ask expecting to recieve your wants are, then I dont know why you are praying this, that is hypocritical. Dr. Bruce Wilkinson has done a wonderful job on writing this book. This prayer is centered on God! It asks for God's presence to be with you, and to keep you from evil, and to reach out to the lost! And the blessings God gives us, all we need to do is ask! These blessings aren't selfish, God does not hand out those. Jabez asked with a willing heart, and it says at the end of the verse "And God granted him what he requested." Do you think the God of the universe would give us our worldy pleasures. NO! So if you interpreted this book as selfishness, then you are very off the mark. You are looking to glorify God with what you have. Bruce has a heart for the Lord, and God would never of let this book get published if it gave us a selfish motive. We need to stop judging our brothers, only God can do that. Stop breaking them down, and build them up. Even if passage was only four verses, it is still the bible. It should never be overlooked. The Armour of God is only around 10 verses, yet look how many studies are on that. Stop judiging others and look at your motives. Did YOU PRAYERFULLY consider before writing your reviews. A Revival is going on in our nation. If you are luke warm God will spit you out of his mouth. For all those people who wrote their reviews just to slander a man of God. Look at your life, are you luke warm? God detests that. Get on the boat or get out of the way!
Rating:
Summary: Interesting!
Review: I thought that this book was very thought-provoking. It focuses on a small prayer made by Jabez, a person I had never heard of before. I do not think it was dangerous or puts the focus on material things; and all Christians do not love to thank and praise God for themselves, like some reviewers have stated! Rather, it is prayer that asks God to bless you (spiritually, such as through ministry),expand your horizons, keep evil from you, and give you a helping hand. I loved how the author used examples from his life and others' lives to show how God's answer to this prayer has changed his outlook on life. Great book!
Rating:
Summary: Tiny Book: Powerful Punch
Review: This book by Bruce Wilkinson has brought a powerful change to my prayer life and to the life of those who I purchased the book for. Although a simple little prayer, we must take note that this small prayer is included in the Bible for a reason. It is not intended to overshadow the Lord's prayer or anything else but it does show that it is not wrong to boldly go before God and ask for things. Keeping in mind that in the context of the prayer first "O that You would bless me" is a general request for the good things God desires to give us. It is not being self serving because we are saying in essence, God I trust you to give me the things you want for me not the things I want for myself. Secondly let us not forget that it is to accomplish greater things for God's kingdom (enlarge my territory). This little section is a prayer for greater things and bigger expansion in our ministries, not literally for more territory, and not for our personal gain or glory. Thirdly the prayer is for God's hand to be with us to achieve the things he has for us to do. It is a call to faith by saying, "I can't do this alone God, I need your help. It is to big for me but not for you." And lastly to pray to be kept from evil, this I think we all need to pray. When we do evil it causes pain to ourselves and to others, especially God. This book has challenged me to go farther and do more on faith than I would ever have thought to do. All my life I have heard that we shouldn't ask God for things and I see that I was wrong. He wants us to come to Him, and to depend on Him. I highly recomend this book and would encourage all to read it. Tom Neyhart Minister of Music and Worship
Rating: 
Summary: WARNING: Danger Ahead!
Review: To Wilkinson the key is that Jabez stumbled upon the right formula for asking things of God. His emphasis is on Jabez finding the correct method, instead of on God and His Sovereignty. However, for Jabez the focus of Jabez's prayer was on God and His provision and protection. Jabez simply asked and God gave him what He requested - not because Jabez said the right thing or manipulated God into granting his request. The danger is that Wilkinson's teaching leaves no room for God to say "NO" or "WAIT." It simply puts God in a box. However, the Bible clearly teaches that God has the absolute right to do whatever He pleases with us. And yes, that may mean that God says no to our prayer requests. This debunks Wilkinson's claim that sin in our lives is the only thing that will stop the repetition of Jabez's prayer from working. We must remember that God's purposes for us and our lives are far beyond what we're able to comprehend, and we can't know the mind of God and we can't coerce Him into blessing us. He can't and won't be controlled or manipulated. If He could, then He wouldn't be God, and He wouldn't be worthy of worship, honor, and praise. To pull just two quotes from the book, Bruce's states "I want to teach you a prayer that God ALWAYS answers." and "I believe it (prayer of Jabez) contains the key to a life extraordinary favour with God." Regarding the first point, where in scripture does it state that praying the prayer of Jabez will always get God's ear, and require Him to answer? According to the Bible I study and read, when Jesus taught us how to pray, he taught us "Our Father, which are in heaven . . .", not "Oh, that You would bless me indeed . . .". Second, where in scripture does it teach us how to get extraordinary favour with God? Again, the Bible I study and read teaches that God is love. There is no height, nor depth, nor length to the love of God. Since God already gives us ALL love ALL the time, how can we get even more favour? We already are God's children and have as our inheritance ALL of God and ALL of what God offers. Ponder this. There are no formulas to God. There is but one God and he can not be put in a box and be our personal genie. God has the absolute authority to do whatever He pleases with us, even if that means God says no to our requests. God's purposes for us and our lives are far beyond what we're able to ask for, or comprehend. God can't be coerce into blessing us. He can't and won't be controlled or manipulated. If so, God wouldn't be God. Now, if Bruce instead taught about a deep, abiding, loving relationship with our Father who will sustain us through heartaches, failure, and success, then this would be a great book. Instead, Wilkinson's teaches a shallow "results-oriented" faith that is supposed to guarantee success, as opposed to a deep, abiding, loving relationship with our Father that will sustain us through heartaches, failure, and success.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ!
Review: As a pastor I have spent a lot of time reading books on prayer. This is the most practical and applicable book on prayer that I have ever read! Dr. Wilkenson draws out wisdom from the life of Jabez that the church has been dying for. All too often we wonder if there is any benefit to reading the numerous geneologies and lists that Scripture contains, but The Prayer of Jabez encourages us to take seriously and study all that the Bible has to offer -- you never know what you might find and how it will change your life.
Rating: 
Summary: "Be imitators of Christ"
Review: I do not question the motives or intentions of those who have been blessed by this book. I acknowledge the possiblity that God is using it to bring other people closer to prayer. I DO, however, disagree with much of Wilkinson's premise. As hard as he tries to separate himself from people who preach prosperity gospel, "Prayer of Jabez" is the same thing with a different name. Who cares if it's not about material blessings? Are we Christians to assume that we somehow control what God wants to do? Is God ineffective unless we human beings say the words from this prayer? I understand about asking for blessings for your ministry, but I would argue that most of us do this anyway, and would also point out that quite a few people whose "ministries" have been extremely "blessed" in one sense have turned out to be crocks. I would encourage Christians to look to one of the least "blessed" people in the Bible--Jesus Christ. No home, no family, no possessions, no land, etc. As imitators of Christ, we are called to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow. Unfortunately, the prayer of Jabez does the opposite of denying ourselves--it gives human beings so much agency in the matter that it almost makes God our servant rather than the other way around. One thing is for certain--if Wilkinson had prayed for God to expand his territory and increase his blessings, it sure worked! To be fair, I think he's sincere about his beliefs and I respect that. On the other hand, this says a lot about what Christians are looking for these days.
Rating: 
Summary: jabez and claim it
Review: jabez was singled out in scripture because of his devout prayer. Our author suggests we should all try to emulate jabez and himself by praying jabez's prayer daily. I suggest the prayer was singled out because it is a precursor to The Lord's Prayer, given to us by Jesus Christ, Himself. Best we emulate Him!
Rating:
Summary: The Possibilities
Review: I had heard about this book quite awhile ago but hesitated at picking it up, since fads tend to make me wary. I eventually received it as a gift--an enthusiastic gift--and so I sat down and decided to see what the buzz was all about. After reading THE PRAYER OF JABEZ I can see why it is so popular. The core message of the book is appealing, both to those who understand it (and are seeking God's will, and holiness) and to those who don't (and are seeking personal gain). Wilkinson immediately makes it clear that the prayer of Jabez is not about selfish greed (and has nothing to do with the name-it-claim-it preachers). He states "when we seek God's blessing as the ultimate value in life, we are throwing ourselves entirely into the river of His will and power and purposes for us. All our other needs become secondary to what we really want--which is to become wholly immersed in what God is trying to do in us, through us, and around us for His glory." So right away we can see that many of the superficial criticisms of this book here are misguided and inaccurate. I admire THE PRAYER OF JABEZ for the importance it places on prayer. Prayer is a vital element in the lives of all Christians and anything that encourages more time with God is a plus. I also applaud how Wilkinson challenges us to take a step of faith in our prayer lives and move out of our comfort zones. Praying this prayer, and having it answered in the affirmative, would be a fantastic and desirable thing in the life of any Christ follower. The one problem that I do have is that God doesn't always answer our prayers in the affirmative. Sometimes he says "wait," and sometimes he says "no." A simple glance at the Bible into the lives of men like Job, Paul, and Peter shows us that is true. Wilkinson should've dealt more realistically with that possibility. While I'm pleased to see how God has moved in his life and answered his prayer, not all of us will have that same experience. Disappointment with God, and dealing with God's silence, is a very real reality in the lives of many Christians; even those who would faithfully pray a prayer such as this. That being recognized, THE PRAYER OF JABEZ does do a great job of showing us the POSSIBILITIES of a more focused and faithful prayer life, and for that it should be applauded. To complete the picture, I recommend reading it along side Philip Yancey's REACHING FOR THE INVISIBLE GOD. I give it Four Stars.
Rating:
Summary: Bless me Lord!
Review: The criticism of "The Prayer of Jabez" is often one of theological debate. "Man-centered" prayers and theology is what some believe this book to represent. But, taking a closer look at the book reveals something else. We get a fuller understanding of what it is, who it's written for, who wrote it & why when we think outside our paradigms. What is the purpose of this book? I believe it's 1) to communicate a fresh revelation of God's truth in the word and 2) to usher a change into a more fulfilling God-centered life in Christ. Wilkinson does this through giving his own testimony in The Prayer of Jabez. It's the story of his life that makes the book worthwhile, and it's a story that will stop anyone in his tracks, because it deals with issues and things that we all wish we had answers to. The Prayer of Jabez, then, doesn't seek to answer these questions with the simple prayer - it points to the One who can change lives. The prayer, is in essence, God-centered because, taken from Chronicles in the context of the book, it doesn't point to one man, Jabez, or Wilkinson or the reader, but ultimately to God. He is the One capable of answering the prayer; He is the One desiring to grant Jabez what he requested; He is the pro-active lover of our souils, yeah? I believe that the testimony of one man holds more weight to any court of reason than the debate of theological meanderings - Wilkinson is testifying to something he experienced through God and it changed his life... that's worth creating a nice package to. Is it a quick fix? No - it never proposes itself to be one. It never assumes that air. It never slyly tries to convey that idea. What is it? It's a powerful revelation of a truth from God's Word. It's a call to higher purposeful living in Jesus Christ. It's taking a deeper understanding of who God is & who we are & one aspect of that dynamic relationship. I recommend it... I think it's something we all need to know in our relationship with God.
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