The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life

Amazon.com Review Even well-versed Biblical scholars might be perplexed if asked about Jabez, a little-known man listed in 1 Chronicles, chapter 4. Yet his simple petition is the cornerstone of The Prayer of Jabez and has become a call to live a more "blessed life" for countless readers. The prayer is a simple one: "And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.' So God granted him what he requested." In an era where many Christians shy away from anything that smacks of "name it and claim it," author Bruce Wilkinson alleviates misgivings by putting the prayer into perspective. Wilkinson, founder and president of Walk thru the Bible Ministries and a popular speaker for Promise Keepers, writes in a persuasive, conversational style that will woo even the most cynical reader. He has used the Jabez prayer for more than 30 years, and testifies enthusiastically to the changes it has wrought in his own life. Wilkinson challenges readers to recite the Jabez prayer every morning and keep a record of the changes that occur. The power, he emphasizes, is not in the prayer itself, but "rather, the power is in what you believe will happen as a result of the prayer, and the action you take." Wilkinson makes a convincing case. --Cindy Crosby Product Description Dr. Bruce Wilkinson, president of Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, takes readers to 1 Chronicles 4:10 to discover how they can release God's miraculous power and experience the blessings God longs to give each of us. The life of Jabez, one of the Bible's most overlooked heroes of the faith, bursts from unbroken pages of genealogies in an audacious, four-part prayer that brings him an extraordinary measure of divine favor, anointing, and protection. Readers who commit to offering the same prayer on a regular basis will find themselves extravagantly blessed by God, and agents of His miraculous power, in everyday life. About the Author Dr. Bruce Wilkinson is a world-renowned Bible teacher and the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller The Prayer of Jabez, Secrets of the Vine, A Life God Rewards, Experiencing Spiritual Breakthroughs, and numerous other books. He is the founder of Walk Thru the Bible Ministries and Global Vision Resources. Bruce and his wife, Darlene, have three children and four grandsons. They reside in Georgia. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.  Chapter 1LITTLE PRAYER, GIANT PRIZEJabez called on the God of Israel. The little book you're holding is about what happens when ordinary Christians decide to reach for an extraordinary life-which, as it turns out, is exactly the kind God promises. My own story starts in a kitchen with yellow counters and Texas-sized raindrops pelting the window. It was my senior year of seminary in Dallas. Darlene, my wife, and I were finding ourselves spending more and more time thinking and praying about what would come next. Where should I throw my energy, passion, and training? What did God want for us as a couple? I stood in our kitchen thinking again about a challenge I'd heard from the seminary chaplain, Dr. Richard Seume. "Want a bigger vision for your life?" he had asked earlier that week. "Sign up to be a gimper for God." A gimper, as Seume explained it, was someone who always does a little more than what's required or expected. In the furniture business, for example, gimping is putting the finishing touches on the upholstery, patiently applying the ornamental extras that are a mark of quality and value. Dr. Seume took as his text the briefest of Bible biographies: "Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers" (1 Chronicles 4:9). Jabez wanted to be more and do more for God, and-as we discover by the end of verse 10-God granted him his request. End of verse. End of Bible story. Lord, I think I want to be a gimper for