Jabez is getting a lot of attention

these days thanks to a little book with a huge impact and a tremendous

reception. Bruce Wilkinson's 92-page book has sold over six million copies

and remains number one on the New York Times and USA Today best-seller

lists. It was the nonfiction book of the year from the 2000 Retailers

Choice Awards. Spinning off of the book's popularity now are Jabez coffee

cups, devotional books, journals, small-group Bible studies and a video

series.

The book is based on a little

prayer prayed by an obscure man listed among a bunch of begats recorded

in I Chronicles 4. Suddenly bursting forth from this boring list of geneology

is Jabez, who merits more description than the individuals listed before

and after him. I Chronicles 4:9-10 reads, "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, and that You would keep

me from evil, that I may not cause pain.' So God granted him what he requested."

This breakthrough prayer came

from a man who stands out among his contemporaries. Why? He rose above

the crowd simply because he prayed. He rose to a place of prominence because

of his prayer life.

What are you known for? We

can be known for a lot of good things: "He's a good person. She's

active in her community. She's a good mother. He's got a great garden."

Jabez was known for his praying.

His conversation with God distinguished him.

As he turned to God, he asked

for God's richest blessing upon his life. He asked that his life would

have greater impact and larger influence. He requested that God's presence

would be with him, and that God would keep him from doing anything that

would bring grief to his life or to his loved ones. He was praying the

original "help me to just say no!" prayer.

His prayer got results, for

"God granted him what he requested." Jack Taylor wrote, "Jabez

knew what he wanted, and he went for it. He knew where to go and to whom

to go for it; he asked for it, and he received it."

God likes to answer prayer.

Proverbs 15:8 reads, "The prayer of the upright is His delight."

As delighted as I am in the

increased emphasis that Wilkinson's book has brought to prayer, and as

happy as I am that Jabez is getting all of this attention, I want to offer

one other perspective: the prayer of Jabez is a wonderful prayer that

got results, but it was never intended to be the model prayer.

My concern is that newer believers

will make this one prayer the cornerstone of their prayer life. Requesting

is only one aspect to a growing, balanced prayer life.

Our model for prayer

is the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray recorded in Matthew 6:9-13.

This is our pattern for balanced prayer. The prayer starts with God, not

with us. It contains six petitions divided into two equal parts.

The first three are concerned

with God's nature and purpose. We should pray on behalf of His holiness,

for the putting first of His sovereignty, and for the accomplishment of

His purposes on Earth.

The second group is on behalf

of the petitioners. One petition has to do with God's supplying our physical

needs. Another relates to restoring fellowship with God through forgiveness,

and to helping us forgive those who wrong us. We need to be right with

God and with each other. The final request has to do with God's protecting

us from temptation and delivering us from anything that would hurt our

relationship with Him. This is the prayer Jesus gave us as a pattern for

a growing prayer life.

So how does the prayer of Jabez

jibe with the pattern prayer of Jesus? Let me suggest a guide using the

acronym P-R-A-Y.

Prayer begins with praise

and thanksgiving. Since prayer begins with God, we open with

adoration and gratitude, putting our attention on God first. That's where

Jesus began.

Then we release to God

anything that would hinder our prayer. We confess sin (I John 1:9) and

cast our cares upon God (I Peter 5:8). We release any worries or circumstances

that would cause us not to focus on God as we pray.

Then we ask . We pray

for others, and we make known our own needs and requests. In a balanced

prayer life, here is where the prayer of Jabez would come in. Pray

the prayer of Jabez here. Asking is important, but it's only one part

of prayer.

Then we yield. Yielding

involves listening to God, obeying God and bringing our life under God's

authority.

Jabez prayed a good prayer,

and I'm glad Wilkinson's book has reminded us of the importance of prayer.

We're not in this by ourselves. We have a heavenly Father we can call

on and depend on.

[Dr. David L. Chancey is pastor

of McDonough Road Baptist Church in Fayetteville. The church cordially

invites everyone to join them for Bible study at 9:45 a.m. and worship

at 10:55 a.m. each Sunday. They meet at 352

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