The Prayer of Jabez : Breaking Through to the Blessed Life is an inspirational book by Bruce Wilkinson, founder of the largest evangelical Christian seminar organization in the United States, and published in 2000. It is based on the passage 1 Chronicles 4:9-10:

And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

In the book, Wilkinson encourages Christians to boldness in praying this prayer for themselves, word for word, on a daily basis:

I challenge you to make the Jabez prayer for blessing part of the daily fabric of your life. To do that, I encourage you to follow unwaveringly the plan outlined here for the next thirty days. By the end of that time, you'll be noticing significant changes in your life, and the prayer will be on its way to becoming a treasured, lifelong habit.

The book became an international bestseller, topping the New York Times bestseller list and selling nine million copies. Its publisher, Multnomah, extended the line to simplified children's versions, audio cassettes, and coordinated the marketing of a wide array of official "Prayer of Jabez" merchandise: backpacks, Christmas ornaments, scented candles, mouse pads, and even a framed artist's conception of Jabez himself. A line of jewelry was also in the works in August 2001, but a proposal for Jabez power bars had been rejected: "We want to be careful about not over-commercializing this," said Leslie Nunn Reed, the licensing agent. ("A Phenomenon of Biblical Proportions" L.A. Times, August 14, 2001).

The book is now officially out of print.

External link

• A series of critical analyses of The Prayer of Jabez