SUBJECT: Prayer of Jabez
QUESTION: There is a book out there called the Prayer of
Jabez. Is there anything to this? Does the prayer of Jabez
have inherent power? Can I use it too?
ANSWER.
We found a web site that addressed the Prayer of Jabez and
we agree with it. It follows:
"Jabez called on
the God of Israel, saying, 'Oh that Thou would bless
me indeed, and enlarge my coast [territory], and that Thine
hand might be with me, and that Thou would keep me from
evil, that it may not grieve me!' And God granted
him that which he requested."
1 Chron 4:10
"...make the
Jabez prayer for blessing part of the daily fabric of your
life. To do that, I encourage you to follow unwaveringly the
plan outlined here for the next thirty days. By the end of
that time, you'll be noticing significant changes in your
life.... Read the Jabez prayer every morning.... Reread this
little book once each week during the next month...."
The Prayer of Jabez,
page 86.
"I have an
uncomfortable feeling about The Prayer of Jabez....
The Lord commented unfavorably on repetitious prayer.
Please help me sort out my uncomfortable feeling about this
'movement'
Ramsay Devereux
During an uneventful time in Israel's history, a faithful
man named Jabez prayed a simple, straightforward prayer and
gained the favor and blessings of God. Now, a small book
has prompted millions of saints and seekers to memorize and
repeat the same prayer daily. After three thousand years of
obscurity, Jabez has found surprising favor with the world.
So, what's the problem with promoting a Biblical prayer that
God honored in His Word? After all, our Lord delights in the
prayers of His saints -- all the daily thanks, praises and
petitions that turn our hearts to Him in faith, worship and
surrender. Using Bible verses as a basis for prayer and
worship is a wonderful habit. Why be concerned?
Because this book -- not Jabez' prayer --
promises rewards from God that God doesn't promise in the
Bible. While author Bruce
Wilkinson enriches the meaning of Jabez' prayer in the rest
of his book, the first part (many
readers go no further) seems to put the
book into the unbiblical realm of the "name it claim it"
movement. Consider the opening words:
"Dear Reader, I want to teach
you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers.
It is brief--only one sentence with four parts--and tucked
away in the Bible, but I believe it contains the key to a
life of extraordinary favor with God....
Thousands of
believers who are applying its truths are seeing miracles
happen on a regular basis. Will you join me for a personal
exploration of Jabez? I hope you will!"
Emphasis added
Millions have joined his quest. Many have testified to
miraculous answers which demonstrate God's love, mercy and
intervention on behalf of those who seek Him. But these
amazing interventions and anecdotal stories don't prove
that God "always answers" this specific prayer. Nor
do they verify that this Old Testament prayer by itself
"contains the key" to extraordinary favor with God.
Nor does the Bible suggest that we -- God's people -- have
the authority or power to "put Jabez' [or
any other]
prayer to work," as
Christianbook.com suggests in its publicity statement
below. Ponder its invitation to potential buyers:
"Discover how to release the
miraculous power of God in your life! ...See what God will
do for you when you put Jabez' prayer to work!"
It is hard to see how anyone could conclude that Jabez'
prayer "works" better than the prayers of Moses, David,
Elijah and Paul -- men used by God to liberate His people,
slay giants, restore life to a dead boy and bring sight to
the blind. The "miraculous power of God" demonstrated
through their lives came, not because of the words they
uttered, but because they had consecrated their lives to
God, humbled themselves before Him, trusted in His provision
for sin, and chose to seek and do His will with all
their heart and without compromise.
Therefore God forgave their sins, offered His
strength in their weaknesses and -- through the Holy Spirit
in them -- put prayers in their hearts that expressed His
will. Because these men took time to know His Word and will,
God "spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his
friend." (Exodus 33:11) No less amazing, He called David
"a man
after My own heart, who will do all My will."
(Acts 13:22)
Unlike these friends of God who loved His
Word and walked with Him, the church at the dawn of the new
millennium tends to be Biblically illiterate. Many
are too distracted by work, life's pressures and "the
pleasures of the world" to open the Bible. But we all want
His help, peace and blessings. In this cultural context, the
"positive assurances" and marketing tactics behind
Wilkerson's little book raise some searching questions:
1. Does the
Bible justify using "the prayer of Jabez" as a formula for
success?
If so, why would Jesus give us
the model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 ("Our
Father, who art in heaven....")
rather than the prayer of Jabez?
In the days of Jesus, rabbis would often use prayer
outlines. Today, many faithful students of Biblical history
believe that "the Lord's prayer" was such a prayer -- one
that provided a pattern or outline for longer prayers. Then
as now, its short parts were reminders that God would be
pleased if we would include certain points in our quiet
times with Him:
·
Praise to our heavenly Father
who hears and provides.
·
Confession and cleansing as we
bow before a holy God.
·
Thanks for the goodness and
glory of His Kingdom.
·
Confidence in His perfect plan
and readiness to yield to His will.
·
Trust that our Provider will
meet our needs each day.
·
Faith that through the cross,
we have forgiveness for every sin.
·
Prayer for grace to forgive
others and be filled with His love.
·
Prayer for wisdom to recognize
and resist any temptation or evil.
·
Praise for His sovereignty,
love and faithfulness to those who follow Him.
Though both prayers were pleasing to our Father, their
differences are important. Jabez focused on God’s gifts.
Jesus emphasized the Giver. Jabez’ prayer reflects the Old
Testament context where God demonstrated His love by
prospering His people. The Lord’s prayer reflects the New
Testament understanding that -- because of the cross [stake]
-- we share in the life, suffering, ministry and triumphs of
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Since the prayer of Jabez precedes the New Testament call to
absolute commitment, it is acceptable to the world. It
sounds good whether people serve God or self. Since it
doesn't point to Christ or the cross, it carries no offense.
It offers the same blessings to those who pursue a self-made
image of God as to those who walk with Jesus.
In a recent interview, George Barna, founder and president
of the Barna Research Group, shared his concern:
"One of the frightening things that we find in our research
all the time is that even among the tens of millions of born
again Christians, about half of them would say that when it
comes to Christianity they are not absolutely committed to
the faith. ...we’ve made it too easy to be part of the
Christian church. I think that there is very little sense of
privilege and awe and responsibility that comes along in our
culture with the notion of being considered a disciple of
Christ. It is like, ‘Hey, I got my salvation taken care of,
I’ve got my membership card at my church. Now let me go to
the country club and do my thing.’ The problem is that
Christianity is not just about being a church member. It is
about consistently trying to become more like Christ. It is
about life transformation.
"... small groups may be doing more to inhibit peoples’
spiritual growth than to facilitate that growth. Part of the
reason is that, first of all, in most groups, you have an
individual who’s in charge of the group or leading the group
who really doesn’t know Scripture very well. So if they’re
leading a discussion or trying to teach on things, more
often than not, what you wind up with is heresy rather than
Christian orthodoxy."
It’s easy to distort our understanding of God in a culture
that prompts people to interpret His Word according to a
politically correct consensus rather than by the Bible
itself. It’s tempting to seek a feel-good god whose will and
ways match human wants and illusions. But to assume that an
imagined God will bless our lives and extend our sphere of
influence, is presumptuous at best.
"You thought
that I was altogether like you,"
warned God.
"But I will
rebuke you...." [Psalm 50:21]
2. How can
Mr. Wilkinson assure anonymous readers that God "always
answers" this particular prayer in contrast to other
prayers?
The preface of the book implies that God not only answer
this prayer, His answer is always "yes." That's a denial of
some of the Bible's guidelines for answered prayer.
For example, Psalm 66:18 tells us that "If
I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear."
And Proverbs 21:13 warns, "Whoever
shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself
and not be heard."
James 4:3-4 explains another reason for unanswered prayer: "You
ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may
spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and
adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world
is enmity with God?"
God's will and guidelines overrule the desires and requests
of those who don't know Him. Perhaps some people need to
learn humility, surrender, obedience and faith
based on Scriptures before they excel in "daring"
prayers? For, throughout the Bible, God shows us that
the state of a believer's heart is as -- if not more --
important than the particular words used.
"The effective,
fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James
5:16).
3.
Could a formula
prayer raise false expectations of what God might do
and therefore bring
disappointment, doubt and disillusionment rather than faith
and thankfulness?
Bruce Wilkinson makes more staggering claims. "Join me for
that transformation," he writes on page 91. "You will change
your legacy and bring supernatural blessings wherever you
go. God will release His miraculous power in your life now.
And for all eternity, He will lavish on you His honor and
delight."
He will? In a chapter
called "Welcome to God's Honor Roll," Wilkinson writes,
"You don't reach the next level
of blessing and stay there. You begin again -- Lord,
bless me indeed! Lord, please enlarge...! And so on. As
the cycle repeats itself, you'll find that you are steadily
moving into wider spheres of blessing and influence,
spiraling ever outward and upward into a larger life for
God.... You will know beyond doubt that God has opened
heaven's storehouses because you prayed."
Wilkinson mentions the "mostly ordinary, easy-to-overlook
people" listed in Hebrews 11 who won honor from God. But
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah and Moses hardly fit that
description. Then he fails to mention the faithful men and
women who received the opposite of honor and blessing in
this world:
"...others were
tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain
a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings
and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They
were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain
with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and
goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— of whom
the world was not worthy."
Hebrews 11:35-38
God shows us that suffering -- not prosperity, power or
influence -- is an essential part of our life in Christ. We
cannot be one with Jesus without sharing His battles as well
as triumphs. "For to you it has
been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in
Him, but also to suffer for His sake," wrote Paul to
the Philippians (1:29)
Jesus told us to "count the cost" of discipleship -- not the
blessings of the world:
"If they
persecuted Me, they will persecute you.... for they do not
know the one who sent me." (John
15:20-21)
4. Could an
habitual prayer such as the prayer of Jabez, distract from
hearing and praying according to God's will for the day?
The Bible tells us that
" we do not know what we should
pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes
intercession for us.... according to the will
of God." (Romans 8:26-27) Remember, Jesus
always prayed and served according to His Father's will and
purpose on each occasion. If we give ourselves unreservedly
to do the same, He will answer our prayer:
"Now this is the
confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything
according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He
hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we have asked of Him."
1 John 5:14-15
5. Might some
readers be seeking the power of prayer rather than the power
of God?
There's a significant difference between the
two, and the former has always been far more alluring to
human nature than the surrender and obedience involved in
ongoing Biblical prayer. Most people would rather memorize
and repeat a formula prayer that "works" than take time to
seek to know the heart of God. It's easier to imagine "what
Jesus would do" than actually study His Word and know His
will -- then to submit will to His.
Formula prayers
dominate in pagan religions. Compare Mr. Wilkinson's preface
and the
Christianbook's
publicity statement with the following quote from
Medicine Buddha Sadhana, a small book given to thousands of
people who attended a May 2001 a "Medicine
Buddha Empowerment" workshop led by The Dalai Lama:
"To recite the Medicine Buddha
Mantra brings inconceivable merit. ... If you recite the
mantra every day, the buddhas and bodhisattvas will always
pay attention to you, and they will guide you. All your
negative karmas will be pacified and you will never be born
in the three lower realms.... and all your wishes are
fulfilled."
Sounds tempting, doesn't it? It
appeals to human nature and its "felt needs." Who wouldn't
want to recite a prayer or mantra that promises easy access
to higher powers that will fulfill your dreams and satisfy
your wants?
But God knows that our finite
dreams and human wishes fall far short of His wonderful plan
for us. His rocky road to victory includes hardships and
humiliations that rarely find a place in our hopes and
prayers. Therefore, knowing the inclinations of our human
nature, He shows us the way:
"And when you
pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For
they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the
things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner,
therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be
Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done...."
Matthew 6:7-9
The issue here is your motive --
your reason for repeating certain words. Do you believe that
repetitions will add strength to a prayer? Then you may be
trusting mere words more than your all-powerful, sovereign
God.
For instance, the
customary words used to "put on the armor of God" could be
little more than a "vain repetition" if you merely and
mindlessly recite the familiar steps: "Now I gird my loins
with truth... I put on the breastplate of righteousness...
the sandals of peace..." There's no magic in those words
alone. Instead they remind us to actively -- by faith --
"put on" Christ's truth (His
Word),
righteousness (includes
confessing sins),
peace, etc.
But it's no "vain repetition" to pray through the steps
listed in Ephesians 6:12-17 (see
The Armor of God), giving Him thanks for each vital part
and praising Him for the protection He offers you in
Himself. For when you turn to Him in love, faith, humility
and surrender -- "pouring out your heart" to your Father and
King -- then He will surely hear and answer according to His
perfect plan for your life.
6. Can we
assume that a step toward victory in one battle will work
the same way in another battle?
For example, God told Joshua to march around Jericho 7
times. Victory involved obedience to those specific
guidelines. They don't apply to other battles.
A generation earlier, God had told his faithless people to
enter the promised land. Fearing the giants in the land,
they refused. God didn't give them another opportunity. But
when they faced the consequences of their disobedience, they
made a belated decision to do what he said. But it was too
late. The grace that came with God's command, couldn't be
applied at will. So they lost both the battle and their
lives. (Numbers 13-14)
7.
Is
it Biblically accurate to expect that the evils that
surround us not touch and "grieve" us?
In Christ, we are "more than
conquerors." But that doesn't mean escape from the wounds
and griefs that today's warfare inflicts on God's soldiers.
As long as we live in a fallen world and walk with Him, evil
will touch us. But we won't bear its assaults alone. When we
stand equipped with His truths and promises, He will lead us
in His triumph -- a triumph that would look anything but
triumphant to those who expect the world's peace and
prosperity. Prayerfully consider 2 Corinthians 4:7-10,
"...we have this treasure in
earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of
God and not of us. We are
·
hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed;
·
we
are perplexed, but not in despair;
·
persecuted, but not forsaken;
·
struck down, but not destroyed
·
always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord
Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our
body."
If we are one with Jesus, we must
set our hearts -- not on blessings in the world but on
fellowship with our King -- as did Peter, James, Paul and
countless other saints and martyrs who, through the ages,
have relinquished earthly comforts and popularity for a far
greater eternal treasure. Paul said it well,
"But what things were gain to
me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also
count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of
all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain
Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness,
which is from the law, but that which is through faith in
Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I
may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of His sufferings....
"Not
that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I
press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus
has also laid hold of me.... One thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind and reaching forward to those
things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the
prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus...."
Philippians 3:7-14
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