Prayer of Jabez DIDN'T Work

[Dr. Bob]

This was forwarded to me by a friend. I can't envision him reading the Wall Street Journal (which is quoted) so assume another source but have not found it.

"Bruce Wilkinson, author of "The Prayer of Jabez", has quit his "Dream for Africa" program just two years after envisioning it. ("Unanswered Prayers," Wall Street Journal, Dec. 19).

With income from selling 22 million copies of The Prayer of Jabez, he moved to southern Africa and established a program for agriculture, AIDS sexual abstinence programs, and a $200 million African Dream Village with an orphanage that would double as a tourist attraction (and luxury hotel/18-hole golf course and more. None of that became a reality.

Wilkinson teaches that people should pray the prayer of Jabez word-for-word, every day for four weeks, expecting special blessing from God. About the prayer, Wilkinson says: "I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers. It is brief--only one sentence with four parts--and tucked away in the Bible, but I believe it contains they key to a life of extraordinary favor with God. This petition has radically changed what I expect from God and what I experience every day by His power. In fact, thousands of believers who are applying its truths are seeing miracles happen on a regular basis." (Prayer of Jabez, Preface)

Wilkinson said he "is trying to come to grips with a miracle that didn't materialize despite his unceasing recitation of the Jabez prayer" (Wall Street Journal). Sadly, he said, "I asked hard enough."

Thoughts on this??

 

[Bunyon]

Prosperity theology never pans out no matter how slickly it is packaged. But it usually pans out for the preachers in the form of increased donations.

 

[PastorSBC1303]

No matter how hard man tries, they cannot put God in a nice neat box and work out a formula that forces Him to do what they want.

Let God be God!

 

[LadyEagle]

http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/wilkinsonquits.htm

 

[Joseph_Botwinick]

his departure left critics convinced he was just another in a long parade of outsiders who have come to Africa making big promises and quit the continent when local people didn?t bend to their will."

This sentence pretty much sums it up. I would only add that he is another in a long parade of preachers who quit when God did not bend to his will. What a shame.

Joseph Botwinick

 

[just-want-peace]

From reading the book, I gathered that we are supposed to totally yield ourself to God, and the prayer is nothing more than a verbal declaration of same.

That being the case, God is free to use me as He sees fit and I will experience more and more growth and responsibility as time progresses.

It seems however, that Wilkerson has travelled the path of many successful persons and decided that he (Wilkerson) was the one in charge rather than God.

I see nothing wrong with the original premise (as I interpreted it) but it IS NOT the "magic word" that forces God to bend to your will.

Seems Wilkerson has fallen into the old trap of "believing his own press releases"!

Pride or $? Who knows, but both/either are deadly when not tempered by His leading!

 

[Orvie]

Methinketh this is from the Way of Life mailing list, i.e. David Cloud. (yeah, I admit I read it )

 

[Dr. Bob]

Thanks for the link, Lady. It was pretty much the same wording.

And am saddened if Rick Warren got involved. He and his church are "friendly" with Schuller, Wilkerson and a host of other odd assortment of christians. But THEY (Saddleback) are doing their thing totally separate from the others and hopefully with fidelity to the BFM of the So. Baptists!!

 

[MatthewHenry]

What more could you expect from a Pentecostal?

They've been twisting God's Word since 1901 at Azuza Street! (and a bit before that too!)

Nuff Said.

MH

 

[In His Grace]

Wikerson tried, more than what most of will ever do.

We must remember that all of what we try and do for the work of the Lord are in the Lord's hands whether successfull a little or a lot.

In prayer, it's thy will be done Lord, not mind.

 

[standingfirminChrist]

Just reciting one or two verses over and over does not guarantee prosperity in any christian's life.

God does not give everyone what they ask for. 'Ye ask, and ye have not because ye ask amiss', we read in the book of James.

Many times we ask for things that are not in God's will for our lives. Jesus told us when we pray, we are to ask for 'Thy will be done'. Our will should not even be in the picture.

I never cared for Wilkerson's book. It reminded me of people who summon spirits, an evil practice.

 

[Ben W]

Here is a link that has a reprint of the article.

http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/Jabez.htm

 

[gb93433]

I did not know God honored the prayers of meaningless repetition. The book seems to promote a pray after me attitude. Jesus never even taught that. He gave the model prayer though.

 

[Archei]

Well, he gave one model prayer, and it basically is summed up in, "forgive us, provide what we need (not want nor would like) and then do whatever it is that you want to do."

Now, I'm not sure if I'm the only one that caught this, but we should note as well what he was trying to do in africa. Agraculture, anti-Aids abstinance, orphanages, they're all good, however the point of a missionary is to preach the word. Social programs are not our calling. Granted, "If someone sees his brother in need and closes off his heart from him, how can the love of God abide in him?" but the calling is to preach the word. Did these programs necesarrily go towards that end? If they didn't, no bad or even good prayers will help.

 

[John of Japan]

Personally, I'm kind of glad Wilkinson failed. I've never read his little book and know next to nothing about him. But the kind of effort described gives missions a bad name.

(1) It is not fulfilling the Great Commission, which is not to take American ways to the world but the Gospel.

(2) It is arrogant and leaves a bad taste in the mouths of the nationals. Anyone ever read the '60's novel, The Ugly American? I read that Wilkinson rejected the advice of the US ambassador and others who knew Zaire much better than he did.

 

[John of Japan]

Oops, just saw that Archei noted my (1) point. Sorry for not acknowledging that, Archei.