book review by Carol Lee

Wow. Imagine that. We are actually allowed to simply ask God for his blessing and protection; to ask for an enlarged territory to serve? And to ask to be protected from evil, harm and pain?!! For those out there like myself, Jabez’s prayer is quite unlike the kind of prayer that we have understood to be the prayer of the "good Christian". Are we not called to be selfless, to pray for those who cannot pray for themselves, to intercede first and foremost for our neighbour? Are we not to sit and wait to see what God puts in our path, accept it, indeed welcome it, regardless how painful or difficult, in the name of developing Godly character? Jabez’s prayer is so simple and direct that we find ourselves asking, "Now – why didn’t I think of that?!!!!!" Bruce Wilkinson’s book, The Prayer of Jabez, systematically analyzes Jabez’s prayer. In doing so, he dispels what he considers to be Christian "myths" of what prayer should be and enlightens us as to why God welcomes and honours prayers such as that of Jabez.

Mr. Wilkinson sums up Jabez’s brief appearance in the Bible like this:

• Things started badly for a person no one had ever heard of.
• He prayed an unusual, one-sentence prayer.
• Things ended extraordinarily well.

So what exactly was it about his little innocuous prayer that got God’s attention?

Oh that you would bless me. Wilkinson asks, is it possible that God wants you to be more "selfish" in your prayers? When we ask for blessing in the Biblical sense, we are asking for more than what we can achieve by our own powers. We are asking for miraculous blessings that only God can give. And when we ask, the Bible promises us that it shall be given to us. This is Wilkinson’s analogy: a parent adores loving and doting on their child and seeks to bless whether or not the child asks for it. But does the parent not find even more joy and want to give that much more when the child looks to him or her adoringly and expectantly, asking for more love and blessing? Let us ask and receive ALL that the Lord has to give us.

Oh that you would enlarge my territory. Jabez wanted more influence, more responsibility and more opportunity to "make a mark for the God of Israel". Wilkinson makes the point that no matter where you find yourself, if you are doing business God’s way, it is not only right to ask for more, but He is waiting for you to ask. Afterall, if our purpose here on earth is to preach the gospel and make disciples, then it makes sense that God would want us to make as great an impact on the greatest number of lives possible. I believe that by asking, we are revealing to God our deepest desires to obey and serve His purposes. Such desires, expressed in prayer, must surely bring Him delight. Surely then, they will be honoured.

Oh, that Your hand be with me! If we are going to ask for enlarged territory, let us not forget this part of the prayer! Wilkinson shares wise words once spoken to him: "…the second you’re not feeling dependent is the second you’ve backed away from truly living by faith." Thank goodness. Have any of us really felt "up to the job"? Living by faith and dependence allows us to step boldly into unknown territory, knowing that God is with us.

Oh, that you would keep me from evil! Yes, as Christians, there will be times when we will be confronted with temptation. And as Christians, we are often deceived into thinking that this is just "life", and that we should ask God for strength to withstand temptation and evil. But why not simply ask to be protected from it altogether? Wilkinson reminds us of Matthew 6:13 – And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. He says further, "We make a huge spiritual leap forward when we begin to focus less on beating temptation and more on avoiding it." It makes sense that if we can spend less time and energy on the defensive against the enemy, then we could expend more on the offensive.

I read The Prayer of Jabez in about two hours. I have found I cannot stop thinking of Wilkinson’s analogy about God having all of these little boxes with ribbons tied around them, hundreds of them, with my name on them, stacked sky-high, just waiting for me. And if I ask, I will get to open ALL of them, not just the few within my immediate reach. I have prayed Jabez’s prayer every morning since. I will not stop until I have untied every bow. Even then, I will ask for more.