I have to tell you I love the PRAYER OF JABEZ! Wow, I probably would not have bought the book except Bishop Bryant recommended the book for all the churches in the fifth district. I am so glad that he did. We started the book as part of our advent study and we are using it at our nursing home ministry. This prayer is transforming! By reading this prayer and studying the book your burning desire is to extend your territory for God. One of our trustees is very quiet, and he has put together an evangelism program and shared about it in church! Another member who has been doing the prayer was going to the battered women's shelter and now. Has her own home, has gotten rid of the batterer, has a new confidence and is working on easter projects for the women's missionary society. I have come off insulin after 37 years and have more energy than before. Plus new members are coming to our church with specialized skills, one family who has run christian camps in upstate N.Y wants to open a christian camp for children with cancer. My daughter had an employer call her about a job. He met her a year ago and remembered her. The lists goes on and on. All of us are seeing changes in our lives from the Prayer of Jabez. WE all want to glorify God, and when one does this prayer you set your sights on Him. The blessings you receive are used to glorify God. If you have not read the book please do so. And do not listen to others that tell you it is just hype. I have found those that said that had not read the book. If you have been doing the prayer what is your experience. I am so happy!

-- Anonymous, January 13, 2002

Answers

I've been saying the prayer from my heart for myself, family, and church for about a year. It works.

-- Anonymous, January 13, 2002

While I believe all sincere prayer is heard by a Loving and All Merciful God who knows our need and our intent before we think or ask, I also find the Lord's Prayer to be sufficient in expressing my heart's desires.What greater example of prayer can we find than that taught to us by Our Lord?

While others may find great strength and encouragement from praying the Prayer of Jabez, God knows it's not my prayer. This is especially true since, as I indicated earlier, the author of the book, which created this latest craze in Christian circles chooses to live in Forsyth County Georgia--where no African American has been welcomed for more than a century.

Therefore, I chose not to purchase or read this book as I can read the prayer in my own Bible, and Our Lord, when asked of His Disciple to teach them to pray said, "When you pray say."

As I have already said in a different string, I pray that God will bless those persons who also pray the prayer of Jabez and expand their territory. But, I also pray that this expansion will include not only Cumming, GA but also Reynoldstown in Atlanta, Watts in Los Angeles, and Harlem in New York. Thus, it will not only manifest itself in some monetary gain, which God might afford, but in true love of all God's children wherever they may be. Therefore, His kingdom may come, and His will might truly be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002

The Lord's Prayer is indeed an outstanding outline to use for daily prayer. We should note that Jesus said "Pray in this way", so we should do exactly that! The best thing about the Lord's prayer is that it covers everything. Praise, worship, petition, intercession, it's all there in one package.

The main thing about the prayer of Jabez though is that it dispells a myth that's been in Christianity for too long that it's somehow selfish to ask God to bless us. As the author writes, God is eager to bless us, and we should ask for blessings upon ourselves. Since reading the book I've done this, and experienced this, and have grown closer to God, not further away.

Some may fear that God's blessings may lead one to materialism, greed, or something like that. In that case you're not being blessed, and God will certainly deal with you on the issue. Your blessing may be a reduction in wealth. When we ask God to bless us we're leaving the "how" entirely up to him. We may be blessed in our marriage, family, job, possessions, prayer life, ministry, whatever. I've received all of the above.

And I wouldn't let the place of residence of the author keep me from reading the book. I've also taken his course on holiness and sexual purity, and have found it all to be very Biblical. I think he's a great Bible teacher.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2002