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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Prayer of Jabez is a life transforming book. If you apply the principles in the book you will see changes in your personal and professional life.
informative
fast-paced
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I am a fan of deep dives into scripture, and this one example if that. Wilkinson examines the prayer of Jabez and explains how it is relevant to our lives today. Although there are concerns about the author's imagining of Janez's life (there is not much to go on in the Bible), it is certainly a book to revisit if you want to create a habit of praying like Jabez. However, I would warn readers that this is not necessarily a "self-help" book; it does not provide a formula to make your life better and should not be treated as such.
It's not a bad little book, it has quite a few salient insights that merit careful contemplation. But as often the case, the book's extrapolation of the "Jabez prayer" demands a lot of speculation and putting thoughts and words into Jabez's mind and mouth. And as the author admits, there is nothing more in the Bible to instruct us about the details and context of Jabez's life. The primary takeaway should be, not asking for what Jabez prayed, but seeking God's perfect will, whether it be abundance or sufficiency, I feel the author does a reasonably good job expressing that point. Jesus gave us the proper model of prayer, (Worship, Will, Provision, Forgiveness, Protection). Christians surrender their lives to God to use as He knows is best for His Kingdom, and for us.
Part of me wants to give this book a full five stars: I say a loud "amen!" to the idea of deepening our excitement/expectation/confidence in the mighty blessings God wants to bring into our lives. Often our prayers are too "small" because we underestimate the power that God works in and through us. In that sense, absolutely we should ask God for more ministry than we ever imagined handling. And I fully agree with the idea that if we open ourselves up in prayer, God can bring us unexpected and miraculously timed conversations. For all of these reasons, I would lend this book to a friend, especially if they needed encouragements on praying bigger or, in one of the later chapters, the idea of simply fleeing temptation.
Another part of me leans towards a much lower star rating because many readers will take this as a different version of "health and wealth" prosperity Gospel. The book makes it sound like faithful, big prayers always ask for instant and spectacle-level success. But I was asked a question a couple years ago that has stuck with me ever since, and I think is epic and faithful and big but just in a different way, "What if you were called by God to go to the mission field but you weren't going to have a single person come to belief in God... What if you ministered 50 years in that country and only had one person believe in Jesus because of your faithful service... Would you still go?" The key phrase in all that was "called by God" and my answer is yes, I would go. I don't know if this book allows for that kind of scenario -- if it does, then great, my star rating stays high. If not, then yikes, I strongly advise against it. God may have an extremely strategic and unexpected purpose for your life.
And since this book isn't systematic theology, it's a 100 page booster, it's kinda hard to say if we lower-star-ratings are reacting to something that's actually there or just one interpretation. Hmm. I could see a reader taking this book either way.
Another part of me leans towards a much lower star rating because many readers will take this as a different version of "health and wealth" prosperity Gospel. The book makes it sound like faithful, big prayers always ask for instant and spectacle-level success. But I was asked a question a couple years ago that has stuck with me ever since, and I think is epic and faithful and big but just in a different way, "What if you were called by God to go to the mission field but you weren't going to have a single person come to belief in God... What if you ministered 50 years in that country and only had one person believe in Jesus because of your faithful service... Would you still go?" The key phrase in all that was "called by God" and my answer is yes, I would go. I don't know if this book allows for that kind of scenario -- if it does, then great, my star rating stays high. If not, then yikes, I strongly advise against it. God may have an extremely strategic and unexpected purpose for your life.
And since this book isn't systematic theology, it's a 100 page booster, it's kinda hard to say if we lower-star-ratings are reacting to something that's actually there or just one interpretation. Hmm. I could see a reader taking this book either way.
Small book, quick read, not bad. Don't want to make it a sort of mystical do this and get this thing, which could happen. It's almost a formula book which would be bad...
This was so close to a Christianized version of "The Secret" it should be sold under New Thought or New Age. While it is theoretically set up as an exposition and commentary on the Prayer of Jabez, that's mostly just the chapter headings. Primarily, it's a collection of anecdotes by the author of how amazing his life is for using this prayer every day, or how amazing he's made other peoples lives because he uses the prayer. In between, he slips in how amazing he's heard other peoples lives became when they used the prayer. Apparently, if you use this prayer you are able to make God your slave and God will fulfill all your dreams like your own personal genie in a bottle. The author takes time in several places to deny this is really what he's saying, but gives no detail about how he isn't saying it. Page after page is filled with promises of a richer, fuller life for using this prayer. Apparently, the prayer has the capacity to overrule Jesus' promise that the life of faith will require crosses, burdens, and sufferings in addition to great blessings and fulfillment. This is a manifestation of the worst tendencies in American Christianity and religion in general. We only want a faith if it gets us a bigger car and lessens our prescription for Zoloft.