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by Laurie Goodstein
Buried in what many religion scholars agree is the least read
and most boring section of the
Bible, among the interminable genealogies where one ancient "begat"
another, are 73 words
about a mysterious character named Jabez.
Little is said about Jabez except that he was "more honorable
than his brothers." He prayed
to God to "bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory,"
and, the Bible says, God granted his
request.
Now, thanks to a small book — and spinoff coffee mugs,
bookmarks and plaques — Jabez's
prayer is being murmured in many parts of America: businesspeople
say it has increased their
profits; single women say it has found them boyfriends; and pastors
say it has enlarged their
congregations.
"The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed
Life," by an Atlanta evangelist, Bruce
H. Wilkinson, has sold 4.1 million copies, most in the last three
months. It is No. 1 on USA
Today's best-seller list, No. 1 on The New York Times's list
of advice, how-to and
miscellaneous best sellers and No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's list
of hardcover nonfiction best
sellers.
At the Good News Bookstore in Topsham, Me., the manager, Terri
Demaria, said: "We just got
30 more in. We couldn't keep them on the shelf."
The slim volume, little more than a sermon, is one in a large
field of religious self-help
books. At first glance, the book appears to be spreading the
"prosperity gospel" popular in
the 1950's and 1960's, which taught that there is no shame in
praying to God for a red
Cadillac. With its blatant materialism, the prosperity gospel
eventually became an
embarrassment for evangelicals.
But "The Prayer of Jabez" offers a new view of the
prosperity gospel. It preaches that it is
perfectly fine to ask God for personal success, as long as that
success has a godly purpose.
"Jabez prayed for more property," the author, Dr.
Wilkinson, said. "He was a farmer or
herdsman, and he was asking for more business. When I talk to
business owners or managers, I
tell them that if their business is honoring the public and they're
treating their employees
well, it's right to ask God to bless their business."
Jeffrey H. Mahan, professor of ministry, media and culture
at the Iliff School of Theology
in Denver, said: "It fits with the narcissism of the age.
Religious life is focused on me and
my needs."
Dr. Wilkinson said he had recited Jabez's prayer daily for
30 years, since he learned it
from a teacher in seminary. It has been his signature prayer
in his hundreds of preaching
appearances all over the world. His ministry, Walk Thru the Bible,
has expanded to more than
40 countries — proof, he says, that the prayer of Jabez
(pronounced JAY-bez) works.
The prayer itself, from First Chronicles 4:9-10, goes, "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." (The book uses the translation
from the New King James
Version of the Bible, though some merchandise uses other versions.)
The whole book is built around the prayer. Each chapter offers
a motivational lesson — from
overcoming personal challenges to how to share the Gospel. Jabez's
story, the book says, is
"proof that it's not who you are, or what your parents decided
for you, or what you were
'fated' to be that counts. What counts is knowing who you want
to be and asking for it.
Through a simple, believing prayer, you can change your future."
Alan Cooper, a professor at both Jewish Theological Seminary
and Union Theological Seminary
in New York, said Chronicles, was written for the Jews returning
from Babylonian exile, when
all that was left of Israel was one Persian province, later called
Judah.
"In that period it would make sense to have a prayer
which would talk about expanding the
borders under Judean control, or to increase the number of settlements
which might have been
available for Jews in the territory," Dr. Cooper said. But
Jewish liturgy has never taken
particular note of Jabez's prayer, he said.
The book's phenomenal sales are attributable in large part
to purchases of multiple copies.
One woman in Atlanta bought 500 to give to guests at her daughter's
wedding. The Rev. Pete
Briscoe in Carrollton, Tex., said he bought 4,000 to give to
members of his Bent Tree Bible
Fellowship at the church's 25th anniversary celebration in February.
The book, slightly larger than a hand-held computer, sells
for $9.99 or less, and can easily
be read in one sitting. Dr. Wilkinson had written a 270-page
version years earlier, but it was
never published.
"I think people are responding very well to the smaller
book format," said Don Jacobson,
president of Multnomah Publishers in Sisters, Ore., the book's
publisher. "We've gotten so
used to fast food, we need things in smaller bites."
Mr. Jacobson said he had expected the book to sell about 30,000
copies. The sales of more
than four million copies have astounded him.
"People are reading this book, praying this prayer, and
they're seeing God work in their
lives," he said. "When that happens, it kind of shocks
them, so much so that they go out and
buy books for other people."
Britt Jones, a film and video producer in Colorado Springs,
said that when he first heard
the prayer at a staff meeting last June, "I just couldn't
bring myself to pray it. It seemed
selfish."
Mr. Jones said the book helped him realize it was all right
to ask God to enable him to buy
a house, because owning a house instead of renting would bless
his wife.
"The book changed my thinking,"
Mr. Jones said. "I prayed, `God, I'm going to ask you to
bless me, and you do it how you want, but at the same time, I'm
going to tell you I really want to bless my wife.' "
Two months later, four people at his company
were laid off, and Mr. Jones successfully asked for
a raise, allowing him to afford a mortgage.
"I think this prayer is the real deal,"
he said.
- [Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/08/national/08JABE.html?ex=990292300&ei=
- 1&en=78ec0b775c6e2712 ]
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