Resumo de The Prayer Of Jabez

The prayer of Jabez is a small book and can probably be read by most people in a matter of hours, but what the book promises to impart to it?s readers is huge. Where have you come from in life, the wrong side of the tracks are you poor or are you rich? According this author none of that matters. The premise of the entire book is to make you believe that through a simple prayer prayed by, what is in biblical terms an insignificant person whose name literally meant ?Pain?, you can have all the blessings of God in your life.

One way that this book sets itself apart from those that preach a ?lets get rich religion? is that it never talks about asking for specific blessings. Instead a close examination of the prayer in the book of 1st Chronicles shows that our guide to this prayer Jabez simply said ?Oh that you would bless me indeed?. The author Mr. Wilkinson proceeds on the premise that this one sentence is enough to open the floodgates of heaven and get God?s blessings flowing into your life.

The author then takes a look at the second request Jabez made in his prayer. ?Oh that you would enlarge my territory?. Mr. Wilkinson asserts that Jabez had surveyed everything he had and said, ?there must be more than this?. Jabez according to Wilkinson was praying for more influence, responsibility and greater power to do things for God. This second request could be prayed in modern language something like this. ?God I want to do more for you. I want to go more places and tell more people about you.?

Wilkinson then goes on to give examples of encounters he has had with individuals and some of the results of those encounters. He attributes each one to him praying the Jabez prayer and calls these encounters ?Jabez Appointments?. He also states that when we begin to pray this way that we see great opportunities and miracles begin to happen in our lives.

What then, what do you do when God begins to bless you and begins to expand your influence and your responsibilities. According to the book this is where many believers begin to falter and start looking at their own insufficiencies instead of looking to God for the power to accomplish the greater tasks. So comes the third request in the Jabez Prayer, ?Oh that your hand would be with me?.

The author convincingly goes on to show that this is exactly where God steps in and through supernatural power helps accomplish those seemingly impossible tasks. At this point you find yourself facing situations or opportunities that you know are beyond your human ability to accomplish and you have to rely on the power of God to see you through. Wilkinson gives a brief history lesson on what exactly ?the hand of God? means and gives several scripture references that show the early church relying on the hand of God and the power of God to accomplish great tasks.

Finely we come to the last request made by Jabez. ?Oh that you would keep me from evil?. This section concludes the four requests made by Jabez but Wilkinson sheds light on the fact that this is by no means the lowest request. He surmises that as we are blessed more and more, we begin to take more territory for God and begin living the life that God has for us, that this is when the enemy will attack.

While concluding that most believers spend the majority of their time praying for strength to endure attacks Jabez was praying to keep from being attacked. The author goes on to describe how Satan knows and understands our weaknesses and will take full advantage of them. He also points out that even Christ when teaching His disciples to pray he said, ?and keep us from evil?. This section is meant to drive home the fact that instead of simply trying to endure and asking God for help to endure attacks, we should instead ask God to keep evil and attacks of Satan away from us to begin with.

This book concludes with two short chapters on dealing with the statement that ?Jabez was more honorable than other men? and the second ?and God granted to him what he ask?. The sections infer that because Jabez was willing to pray his prayer and believe that God would honor it that he made Gods ?Honor Roll?. The final chapter is a challenge to pray the Jabez prayer every morning for thirty days, re-read the book once a week and start keeping a journal of how your life changes and things that you can directly attribute to the Jabez prayer.
The book is an easy read, as I said before it can easily be finished in a few hours and there really isn?t any ?Christianese? or deep theology. The author uses many scripture verses and examples from other Biblical personalities to support his claims. I was thankful for the lack of pray for this and that or pray that God will make you rich etc. The book takes you on a journey through one mans prayer and what can be possible if you decide to follow God and trust him for everything.

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