Prayer Of Jabez

Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested (1 Chronicles 4:9-10).

This particular prayer is famously known as the Prayer Of Jabez. Books have been written about this prayer. It has been endorsed by many people, taught in many places, and it has spread everywhere. But I personally feel that all the hype surrounding this prayer is uncalled for.

The Prayer Of Jabez probably seemed special because it is found in the middle of the geneology of the family of Judah. I believe people have assigned a lot of value to this prayer because of its simplicity, and also because of its location. The exhilaration of finding such a prayer in such an unlikely place has led people to put undue emphasis on it. Who wouldn’t be pleasantly surprised to find a breath of fresh air in the midst of a book which is as boring as 1 Chronicles? The effect of discovering such a portion of Scriptures is akin to unearthing a treasure chest in the midst of a desert.

However, the question is, as much as the Prayer Of Jabez looks like a special prayer that was recorded in an unexpected place, is the amount of attention given to it justifiable? Have we over-amplified the effect of stumbling upon a couple of verses in the bible, to the extent of misinterpreting the real context in which the prayer was said?

If the Prayer Of Jabez was anything that special, I can unearth many other prayers in the Bible that can be of greater value or significance.

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). Isn’t that how Jesus taught us to pray? I’m sure this model prayer is superior to that of Jabez’s prayer. It is a good “mould” or “template” that can be used as a guide to help us to pray.

Check out Jesus’ prayer (John 17:6-26). Imagine the kind of good it will bring to all believers worldwide if everyone were to say this prayer on a daily basis. One may argue that only Jesus could say that prayer, because it was said by Him, and nobody can repeat His prayer and claim it as his own. If that is true, then the same goes for the Prayer Of Jabez, doesn’t it?

What about The Prayer Of Solomon? (1 Kings 3:6-9). At the utterance of that prayer, God gave Solomon a “wise and understanding heart”, and “both riches and honor”, which will be unparalleled by anyone that came before him or will come after him. Solomon was also granted long life. Who wouldn’t want to be blessed like that? Imagine the kinds of books that can be written about this prayer. “Prayer Of Solomon For Adults”. “Prayer Of Solomon For Teens”. “Prayer Of Solomon For Kids”.

Solomon’s father came out with outstanding prayers in the Psalms. David’s prayers have an additional poetic effect to it. His prayers can even be sung along to a tune, for easy memorization. Perhaps a music CD can be made to teach the Prayers Of David to the masses?

How can we overlook the Prayer Of Paul (Ephesians 1:16-19). If only we exemplified the exact prayer that Paul prayed regularly for all the saints. What a great blessing it will be for our brothers and sisters everywhere if we take Paul’s Prayer on par with the Prayer Of Jabez!

Let’s get back to what prayer really is. Prayer is about conversing directly with God, which is made possible by Jesus Christ our Mediator. Prayer is not supposed to be used as a mantra. Subscribing to the false belief that uttering certain prayers by using certain words or catch phrases in a certain order holds the secret of reaping spectacular benefits will make our faith no different from the paganistic understanding of prayer.