The Prayer of Jabez

I've read a lot of books on meditation and mindfulness, and occasionally the topic overlaps with the subject of prayer.

I was reviewing a list of recommended reading by a community leader and as I glanced across the familiar titles by Eckhart Tolle, Neville Goddard, Napolean Hill, and even Stephen Pressfield, I came across a title I hadn't seen before called The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson. 

It was published in 2000 and was a NY Times Bestseller. I'm surprised I haven't come across it before.  Perhaps it falls off these more modernistic lists because of its framework within biblical and core Christian beliefs, but the higher level and perhaps simplified message resonates across spiritual lines: have faith and good things will happen. Stop thinking so much. Trust your intuition.

The Prayer of Jabez is an obscure passage from the bible hidden in one of those inexplicably long genealogies occurring in Chronicles (Jabez is specifically mentioned in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10).

This guy Jabez, who's name literally means "pain" (thanks mom! and er, sorry), speaks directly to God and asks to be blessed and guided.  

Wilkinson champions the idea that if you just say the prayer every day, miracles will occur.

Whether its self-fulfilling prophecy, fantasy, or truth, there certainly seem to be meaningful coincidences that don't follow conventional physics of cause-and-effect, and the Prayer of Jabez hit a high gear this week.

The Prayer of Jabez came to me out of the blue and I read the short volume in an afternoon. The next day my cousin says something about wanting to start reading the bible. Note, he's not a bible reader and while definitely has a spiritual practice, he's far from religious.

He's going through a tough patch. Things are hard. But he's keeping his head up, and like me, he often finds some guidance and peace in the genres of authors listed above. None of that was hitting home this week. The only thing he could think of to turn to was the bible.

And then, here I am with this prayer of Jabez. If nothing else, the discipline of reciting it every day for thirty days seemed like a worthwhile investment of his time. It's only been a few days, but...he's happy. He's improving. He has hope. Oh, and with all that, good things are happening to him.
Oh, that You would bless me indeed
And enlarge my territory
That Your hand would be with me
And that You would keep me from evil,
That I may not cause pain
I'm particularly fond of the last line (Wilkinson is a bit unclear about whether this line is included in his daily practice or not). But I love this idea of asking God, the Higher Power, the Source, the Universe, the Higher Self, or whoever or whatever for guidance in not causing pain to others. 

Way to go Jabez!  You get a top mark in my book.






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