Have you read this little book

It has been a New York Times

best seller. It got a front-page write-up in the Atlanta Journal Constitution

"Faith and Values" section a couple of weeks ago. It keeps flying

off shelves even in airport bookstands and non-religious bookstores. They

can't keep enough copies printed. Wow! What's this all about?

Well, I hope you'll get the

book and read it and see for yourself, but I'll try to give you a quick

peek into it right now.

Bruce Wilkinson is a leader

in the Christian world, having started the Walk Thru The Bible ministry,

among other things. Here's the way the Prayer of Jabez "phenomenon"

started, as I understand it.

Several years ago Shirley Dobson,

wife of author Dr. James Dobson, invited Wilkinson to speak at the "official"

National Day of Prayer ceremony. She had previously heard him speak about

this Prayer of Jabez, and she wanted him not only to speak at this ceremony,

but she thought it would be nice to have his thoughts printed into booklet

form to hand out to the participants that day.

"The rest is history."

From a few copies printed,

to a few thousand, to many millions, the book has been both a success

and a blessing to people all around the world.

Why this success? Why have

so many been blessed? I would see several answers to these questions.

First of all, the book is short

and easy to read. It's written like a letter (or an e-mail) to a friend.

It engages us with stories and personal sharing. Wilkinson makes points

with "chocolates," not with "hammers."

But even more important than

style is the substance. The integrity of the message begins with the remembrance

of an obscure biblical character whose name appears only once in the whole

Bible (I Chronicles 4:9-10). What is even more interesting is that in

this scripture the biblical author is simply giving a genealogy, listing

names and "begats," when, very much out of the ordinary, he

slips in a quick little story about only one of the many names, Jabez.

Jabez, we learn in quick-fire

comment, was "more honorable than his brothers." Why? The only

reason would be his prayer that he prayed. And having prayed his prayer,

"God granted him what he requested."

What did he pray? His prayer

went simply like this:

"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."

Wilkinson writes, "At

first glance, the four requests may strike you as sincere, sensible, even

noble, but not terribly remarkable. Yet just under the surface of each

lies a giant paradigm breaker that runs exactly opposite to the way you

and I usually think."

I offer you only a very brief

personal comment about each part of Jabez's prayer. I think you'll see

why the miraculous power of God is right at our fingertips when we utter

this same prayer.

To pray "Oh, that you

would bless me indeed" is neither selfish nor a request for simply

more human capacity to do something. This is the faith-filled cry to have

God do his God-sized thing in our lives. The blessing of God is unlike

any human blessing. His blessing is divine, superhuman, beyond the ordinary!

His blessing is all-powerful and all-conquering. To pray this and RECEIVE

THIS is nothing short of miraculous.

To pray "Enlarge my territory"

is not a real estate prayer. It is not a "gimme more stuff"

prayer. Instead, it is a call to God that we might have more and more

opportunity with more and more people to impact their lives with God's

own will and ways. This is not getting more for me; it's getting more

for God.

God is looking for those who

want to do more for Him. When our hand goes up, watch out! Miracles for

God are right behind!

To pray to God, "Let your

hand be upon me" is the reality confession that my own power is not

enough. I can do my best, and still fail miserably. As long as I take

tiny steps over-cautiously, I fool myself into thinking I can go it alone.

But as soon as I take even the first full stride in life, I admit I am

totally dependent upon God. Then, when I declare dependency on Him, He

takes over and miracles start jumping up all around!

To pray "Keep me from

evil" is not a request that I won't say a bad word once in awhile.

It goes far beyond that! This is acknowledging that to be "on the

front line" for God (where we pray we will be!) is to be where the

evil one is attacking us with his unwelcome weapons ­ criticisms,

distractions, opposition, oppression, doubt, fear, insecurity, selfishness,

apathy, just to name a few. These evils in our lives show us that the

devil is worried about us doing too much for God, so he shows up with

these destructive bombardments. When God keeps us from these evils ­

and in his strength ­ miracles abound!

Of course, this only scratches

the surface of the great strength of this little book and this gigantic

prayer. I hope you'll read the book, talk about it with your family and

friends, make it a part of your daily prayer routine, and watch the miracles

flood your life!

Thank you, Bruce Wilkinson.

Thank you, Shirley Dobson.

Thank you, Jabez.

But most of all, Thank YOU,

God!

Kollmeyer is senior pastor

of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Ga. Highway 314 in Fayetteville,

between Lowe's and The Pavilion. Contact him at 770-461-3403 or at [email protected].

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