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matthewwester 's review for:
The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life
by Bruce H. Wilkinson
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.