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august 28, 2001

IN DEFENSE OF JABEZ

By Ron Brackin
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

LITTLE ELM, Texas -- I had the good fortune to read Bruce Wilkinson’s book before marketers began to dream of Jabez action figures, illustrated sport-drink bottles, and 1 Corinthians 4 muscle shirts. So the crass commercialism that followed the New York Times best-seller did not adversely affect my opinion of the book’s message.

I wonder, however, whether World Magazine, Hank Hanegraaff, James Mulholland, and other critics gave the book more than a cursory read before dashing off their assessments.

“The purpose of prayer,” declares Mulholland in a recent U.S. News & World Report article, “is not to tell God what you want, but to hear what you need.” Implying that the motives of Jabez were self-serving and unbiblical?

If so, why does God make a point of telling us that Jabez is “more honorable than his brothers?” And if Jabez’s requests were indeed selfish, how could the Lord have granted them when James 4:3 warns that, “when you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

“Oh, that you would bless me indeed,” Jabez began.

If, as a growing number of critics maintain, it is impious and ungodly to seek God’s blessings for oneself, what should we make of Deuteronomy 28 in which the Lord offers two columns of blessings to those who follow his commands?

Was Elisha selfish when he asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit (2 Kings 2:9-11)? And if so, why did God give it to him?

The Lord even urges his people to pay his tithe with the promise to “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it” (Malachi 3:10). Is God appealing to our baser natures to get us to write a check?

And Jesus repeatedly encourages his disciples to ask the Father for whatever they want, stipulating only that they abide in him, that his words abide in them, and that they ask according to God’s will – no proviso that their requests be altruistic.

At this point, some may jump up to quote Luke 12:30-31: “do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

Fine, but the passage that we know as the Lord’s Prayer, while drawing our attention to the kingdom, also teaches us to petition the Father for “our daily bread.”

Later in the USNWR article, radio broadcaster Hank Hanegraaff calls Wilkinson’s book a “quintessential example of fast-food Christianity,” presumably expressing his concern that many readers will misuse the principles taught in “The Prayer of Jabez.”

His point is well taken. Some surely have misunderstood and/or abused it, and no doubt others will, particularly those who lack intimate or legitimate fellowship with God. But the book’s message is a far cry from “fast-food Christianity.”

It’s purpose, the author writes, is to introduce the reader to “the amazing truths” in this simple prayer. It is an exegesis of principles rather than a name-it-and-claim-it mantra.

“Bless me indeed,” Jabez prays. And because God grants his petition, we can assume that the man’s motives were pure, since God knows the secrets of the heart (Psalm 44:21). Presumably, the motive of an honorable man to request blessings would be so that he could be a blessing to others.

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded,” Jesus says (Luke 12:48). We can give only what we receive. To give more, we must ask for more. But the religious or self-righteous spirit balks at this, despite the fact that God is an incredibly generous Father whose pleasure is to give his children the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

Being blessed to be a blessing is a solid biblical principle.

“All peoples on earth will be blessed through you,” God promises Abram in Genesis 12:3.

“All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring,” Jacob is reassured in chapter 28.

Certainly, the reader whose attention is riveted to his own desires and anxieties can easily misread “The Prayer of Jabez,” looking no deeper than praying the prayer and missing the kingdom principles to be learned.

For that matter, there are many who have yet to see Matthew 6:9-13 as a teaching that is chock-full of life-changing principles rather than a mere formula to be recited.

Wilkinson’s critics do well to warn readers of the dangers of misunderstanding and misusing the message of Jabez. And certainly the author could have done a better job of avoiding these dangers by giving less attention to the praise reports and placing more emphasis on how the principles help the believer to deepen his intimacy with Christ and better love his neighbor.

The critics, however, do a disservice when they assail motives – Wilkinson’s or Jabez’s – or when, while warning of the dangers, they fail to concede the real value of the message.

Ron Brackin is a freelance writer in Little Elm, Texas.  (Pictured: Dan Wooding (left) and Ron Brackin (right) at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Dallas, Feb. 2001). He has more than a quarter of a century of experience ranging from journalist and congressional press secretary to marketing and public relations. He is the author of several nonfiction and fiction books, including “Sweet Persecution” (Bethany House 1999) and is currently available for fulltime employment or freelance projects. Full resume available upon request. Contact him directly at ronbrackin1@msn.com,  (972-294-2514 fax, 972-294-2513 office).

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