Just a few weeks ago I got a couple of emails referring to Jabez and the book about prayer. I logged onto the Web site and read the glowing tale of the number of the books sold, etc. Also I read the "glowing" testimonies of those who had reported on their experiences. I confess that my response was less than enthusiastic. It seemed to me that the book sets up the readers to believe that by following the formula of the prayer of Jabez one could have a magic button that would guarantee all kind of success. To make the account of Jabez's prayer to be the way to prayer minimizes The Lord's Prayer and other Bible teaching on prayer. Your article puts the matter in very good perspective and I agree whole heartedly!! hjblann@dmv.com March 31, 2001

Re: Prayer of Jabez: Our sentiments, too. Thanks so much for putting it so well! Blessings, psouder@epix.net" July 3, 2001

I read your Prayer of Jabez column. Sure, you make some good points. I think you are taking the wrong approach, though. The purpose is just to address this one prayer. Does anyone really expect everything on prayer to be included in a book of 100 plus pages? Of course Mr. Wilkinson left some things out. Of course the book isn't "balanced." mrsteve777@snip.net" July 18, 2001

Just visited your website. Very funny! I, too, wrote an article on it after feeling very uncomfortable with the hype surrounding it. You touched on one of the points I made as well on my www.intimateprayer.com. Blessings, daphni@voicenet.com July 19, 2001

Thank you, thank you, thank you. There was a time I thought I was the only one who felt this way about the Prayer of Jabez. I have been ridiculed and condemned as having little faith because I say, "Jesus gave us a better way." I have found that there are many in Christ's church today who would much rather follow the Old Covenant rather than the New, better, Covenant our Lord Jesus Christ gave by His blood. Once again, I thank you for standing up for the truth that is in the Gospel of our Lord, that we are to humbly submit to His Word and live as He calls us to live -- blessed according to His perfect will. May God continue to bless your ministry this day and always. Blessings, Heart2Love4God@aol.com at www.awordfortoday.org July 9, 2001

The truth of the matter is that Jabez is a missionary book in disguise. It's all about taking the world for God, impacting others for him. It's one thing when secular media (who also haven't read the book or choose to ignore those parts that make it clear it's not a "prosperity gospel”) slam the book. But when your own Christian writing peers choose to blithely knock the book, that's very disheartening. If you want to take issue with how some Christians turn what God is doing into a fad or take ideas to extremes, that's one thing. But to imply that all the T-shirts and trinkets are Bruce's doing is just wrong. If an author has a hit book like the Prayer of Jabez, which is based on a passage in the Bible, the author has no control over what other people do with the title. As long as they're not reprinting his copyrighted author text, merchandisers can sell anything about the prayer of Jabez they want. Bruce is dismayed over the trinkets, etc. as it cheapens the message, turns it into a fad, and also because so many people don't realize it's not his doing. What's more, since titles can't be copyrighted, anyone who wanted to could publish a book called The Prayer of Jabez, so long as they didn't violate Bruce's "dress rights," (the cover and packaging). For example, NavPress is putting out a 60 day guide to The Prayer of Jabez. I felt that you would have done a much greater service to your readers if you sincerely analyzed what it is about Jabez that made it a hit from a publishing standpoint. Let's see. Could it be any or all of these things?: It's a small, surprising format. It's a book for non-readers (only 10% of Xns are "readers") that can be read in a sitting. It's written in a lively, engaging style. It's a book that presents a positive, loving God who answers prayer. It's a book with a huge promise directly related to a huge felt need. It says to every person, "No matter how small or insignificant you feel, you can have a big life for God." As a result of what God is doing through Jabez, many non-believers and fringe Christians have been introduced to God. Then, many millions of those (yes, millions) went out and bought Bruce's next book in the same series, Secrets of the Vine. This book couldn't be farther from a sweet treat for Christians. It is a serious book that calls readers to be willing to suffer pain and discipline in order to bear the kind of fruit God wants. I can't think of a better defense of Jabez, and Bruce's true intentions. When Bruce (and Dave) set out to write Jabez, they of course had no idea such success would follow. Bruce had no intention that people should stop praying the Lord's Prayer or elevate Jabez above Jesus. The fact of the matter is, the Prayer of Jabez echoes the Lord's prayer in many ways, and it is how Jesus eventually taught us to pray. "Ask," said Jesus. And "how much more does your Father want to give good things?" And "Go into all the world" (expand territory). Jabez is just a tool, a fresh way to get people praying for what God wants. Heather Kopp [The wife of David Kopp, who co-authored The Prayer of Jabez] August 16, 2001

Thanks for your perspective. And, yes, I did read it.

When I first heard about the prayer of Jabez, I looked it up in my various versions of the Bible and found exactly what Jim Watkins described. I was a little shocked that such a self-serving prayer could be turned into "that I may not cause pain." I applaud Jim for writing what he did and for Stan Baldwin for publishing it in the ICW newsletter. A lot of scripture has been twisted to use as "happy pills." This one makes me wonder about Christian publishing. Elsie Larson August 16, 2001

Hey Jim, I like your site. I haven't read much, but I just read your take on the Prayer of Jabez. I couldn't agree more! I read the book (very reluctantly) thinking at first that it was another weakly disguised version of Prosperity Theology. I thought I should read it to see if I was right or wrong. Basically, I was wrong! Wilkinson, at least, does give the warning that if you TRULY desire the deeper things of God (including blessings in whatever manner you define "blessings"), there will also come many deep challenges. This, I think, is the crux of the book, though not often discussed in the myriad of Sunday School classes now disecting this theology. As you implied, isn't it sad that we have no problem reciting this little ditty, while the Lord's Prayer has taken a back seat (at least, in many Protestant churches) if said at all?! We call the Lord's Prayer "repititous" and meaningless. I guess it's only a matter of time until Jabez becomes the same. This just proves it's all in the heart of the hearer/doer/believer, not so much in the incantation said. Tad August 24, 2001

I have mixed feelings about your Jabez column. I realize we need to have a balanced diet. The prayer of Jabez must have been important for us to know since it is recorded in the OT. He may not be listed in the Hebrews Hall of Faith but he is mentioned by name in the Bible. He is singled out in a long list of genealogies. When I pray it, it is not the only prayer I pray and I don't pray asking for no pain - I pray asking God to help me to not cause anyone else any pain. I may be defensive re: the book since our lives have completely changed due to prayer and that prayer is one of many prayers we have prayed over the past few months. I truly want God's blessing on my life every second. I don't want to live without His blessing. His blessings may not be material. I don't think I am being selfish when I ask for His blessing. I am not necessarily asking for money, houses, land, etc., I am asking for blessings that only come from His hand (which could include material/financial wealth). My prayer is more for His peace, His presence, His power, His protection and His provision in/for my life. But even in the midst of the bad that comes into our life, we have been blessed. We have seen God's hand at work in the darkest of times and count those times as blessings, too. We have witnessed the miraculous through some ugly situations. God has blessed us indeed. [Name withheld] July 3, 2001

Thanks [Name withheld] for your thoughful response. What finally pushed my button was the banner ad on the Internet that said, "Discover the power of a little known prayer." I just about screamed at my computer (I do that a lot) THERE'S NO POWER IN THE PRAYER, THE POWER IS IN GOD!

I think the major problem with using Jabez as a model of prayer is that he is not our model. Jesus is. Jabez was asking for material blessings. He was asking (at least in the majority of translations) to avoid pain.

Homiletics professors talked a lot about being careful of using history to build our theology. For instance, David was a "man after God's own heart" but he certainly did some ungodly things. (We shouldn't have an affair, have our lover's spouse killed, or whack off the manhood of one thousand Philistines just because some man after God's own heart did those things.) And they also warn about "spiritualizing" Bible stories. Jabez prayed for material blessings. Wilkinson prayed for minsitry blessings.

But what troubles me most is this: just because God has blessed Wilkinson's ministry "indeed," faithful, godly pastors in tiny congregation may not see the amazing miracles that the author recounts. (See The Rest of the Bible Story.)

WHO IS THIS GUY?
Jim is an author, believer, conference speaker, humor columnist, presidential candidate, songwriter, and writing instructor.