The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life | Bruce H. Wilkinson

The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life | Bruce H. Wilkinson | Great Prayer

books:

The Prayer of Jabe...

	The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life Bruce H. Wilkinson Multnomah Publishers, 2000 - 93 pages average customer review:based on 557 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

Simple Prayers Avails Much....

Yes,it is true that Jesus'example of prayer was..."Our Father......THY will be done...". However, we cannot displace the prayers of the prophets, NOR the "ordinary" people of the bible. Jesus also said "come to me as a little child", and this prayer is a simple little prayer that does ask for God's will to be done....it is NOT asking for material things but rather spiritual blessings, like keeping me from evil,(also included in the Lord's Prayer) and that I may not cause pain...to others or myself. If the above righteous people knew anything about the bible, they would know that the old testament is a parallel to the new,and that much is repeated in a different manner...mainly that we finally had a true sacrifice for our sins! How can this book be a mockery of God and his message, if the motives are pure? And why would Jabez be mentioned in the middle of a chapter that discusses lineage....God's ways are not our own, and does not always make sense or appear logical to us. Having said that, I believe this book has helped me to think about prayer, and what my true motives are regarding the Father in my prayer life. It is also encouraging my young son to move further in studying the word and developing a deeper interest in the things of God, and for that I am grateful that Bruce Wilkinson shared his testimony in this book...because that truly is what it is, a personal testimony meant to help others dig deeper into their relationship with God.

for more information click here

Great Prayer

Very good book and I recommend the study wookbook. This is a very good Bible Study.

Pretty Interesting

This is a good little book. It is pretty amazing that this Pastor from Alabama found this one short prayer in the Bible that he believes can solve all of man's problems. At least that is my interpetation of the book. It is a nice addition to someone who has read the Bible and maybe missed that important little prayer.

"get righteous quick" scheme is still worth the read

Bruce Wilkinson makes an exceedingly creative effort to extrapolate a great lesson from a brief and obscure biblical passage. By creative, I mean, how did he find that passage, much less write an entire book based on it. My personal reaction to the book is that he should have cut out the Preface and the last five pages (88-93), because they cheapen his message. I think these two parts of the book are where most of his criticisms come from. He sounds like a QVC giving a paid testimonial for a "get-righteous quick" scheme. For example, in the preface, Bruce Wilkinson promises that the brief prayer "contains the key to a life of extraordinary favor with God." Similarly, the past five pages is basically a testimonial to his organization "World Teach." If you can look past the fluffy white bread that surrounds the real meat of the book, then you can really get something out of this book.

I think Wilkinson could have avoided a lot of criticism of he had stuck the major thesis of the book closer to the beginning instead of on page 24: "When we seek God's blessing is 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 will become secondary to what we really want - which is to become wholly immersed I what God is trying to do in us, through us, and around us for his Glory." The point of the book is that you are asking God to help you pursue his plan for your life. He makes a great point when he discerns "my assigned territory" from "my expanding territory" as a formula. Clearly, the ingredient that separates the two is God.

A second great point that Wilkinson made reminded me of another best-selling book: "Who Moved my Cheese" by Spencer Johnson, MD. Similar to "Who Moved my Cheese," Wilkinson prepares you for when life forces you to expand beyond a fixed set of expectations. Change is hard and may seem irrational or uncomfortable. Both Wilkinson and Johnson list behavioral reactions to change. Both authors point out that having bravery to face change is a major part of the capacity to make change. Wilkinson proposes that the bravery may come as a request from you to God.

Wilkinson also touches on the great paradox of Christianity when he says: "Because for the Christian, dependence is just another word for power." As described by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proposes the paradox that power comes in surrender, obedience is empowerment, and from submission comes strength and protection. Conversely, resistance represents weakness. Unfortunately, Wilkinson feels the need to attribute his message solely to Jabez, thereby limiting much of "Christianity" to this single passage. What about Lord's Prayer (the one Jesus taught us to say)? How important is the death and resurrection of Jesus? Aren't those kind of important?

Unfortunately, at the end of the book, Wilkinson renews his snake-oil salesman approach (p. 86): "I encourage you to follow unwaveringly the plan outlined here of the next thirty days. By the end of that time, you'll be noticing significant changes in your life, and the prayer will be on its way to becoming a reassured, lifelong habit." Sounds like as guarantee for a thigh-master. Also, I think Wilkinson tried to do too much with too little. His interpretation of the 1 Chronicles 4:10 is creative and insightful; however, habitual meditation, however so deep, does not supplant the need for the New Testament or for recognizing the Resurrection.

for more information click here