They, too, think you can recite certain formulaic prayers, to bring the favor of the "saints" that they have synthesized from both west African mythology and Roman Catholicism.
Luke 20
You know the commandments: `Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"
21 "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.
24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Luke 9 23
Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
The problem I have with praying for wealth and riches are these teachings of my Lord Jesus, who didn't even have a place to lay his head on this earth. What makes me or anyone else better than The Son of God, Himself? Taking up my cross and denying myself just doesn't sound like rolling in the lap of luxury to me.
Could it be that these blessings were happening in these peoples' lives all along and there were not aware of them because they were not 'praying for a blessing' specifically in their minds?
Could it be that since they began to pray a prayer that they have become more cognizant of the blessings that were already in their lives but did not take the time be be aware of them?
I am the grateful recipient of blessings daily. From just waking in the morning full of grateful thoughts to my spouse being blessed with a bonus at work.
They are all blessings from the Lord.
Perhaps, we all need to encounter life with gratitude to recognize our blessings, the blessings that were already there and those to come.
Gotta run, i'll look at this thread later.
The objections to books like The Prayer of Jabez center on two main points. One is theological, and the other is moral.
If there is a prayer for the believer to pattern his life around... is it the one found in an obscure text of Old Testament never again quoted? It would seem to me that the Lord's Prayer has much more to recommend itself than Jabez. It's in both Matthew and Luke, and was given expressly as a pattern, unlike Jabez. When the disciples asked Christ to teach them to pray, He did not say, "You know this man Jabez? This is how you should pray." Not at all. He said, "When you pray, say: 'Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven....'" (Luke 11:2) and so on and so forth.
The Prayer of Jabez is sorely lacking in much that the Lord's prayer communicates. The Lord's Prayer begins with worship ("Hallowed be thy name") and a proper understanding of God as Sovreign, and by extension, our relationship to Him as dependent servants ("thy kingdom come, thy will be done...."). Only then does the Lord's prayer make a request for even the basic necessities of life (daily bread), but not without acknowleging our unworthiness and asking for forgiveness.
I challange you to find anywhere near that amount in the Prayer of Jabez. The best anyone has come up with was that he prayed for an enlarged ministry, which is dubious to me, at best. All I can see is that the man prayed for more land, and that he wouldn't "cause pain."
And as for the reciting it every day bit... that seems to me "vain reptition," which is derided in the Sermon the Mount.
Then there's the question of all the merchandising going on in the name of Jabez... tshirts... cd's... keychains... bumper stickers... coffee cups. What's next? Jabez:the Lunchbox? Jabez: The Breakfast Cereal?
The requests in Jabez's prayer are asked in accordance to God's will. About the second one - "enlarge my territory".... IMO, what the author tried to get across was that it means asking God to use you to further His Kingdom. To reach other people and "live large" for God.
The other criticism I keep hearing is that the author teaches to recite this prayer by rote, like a chant, and not a heartfelt prayer. Of course this is what pagans do, and it goes against what Jesus said about how to pray. I can't speak for the author, but I don't think that is what he meant. He just stated that he prays the Jabez prayer everyday, and that he has been incredibly blessed in his life.
I liked the book, and despite the controversy, I think its bringing a lot of people to God.... the fact that a Christian book is on top of the best sellers list is a great thing, don't you think?