Bruce Wilkinson - The Prayer of Jabez Bible Study: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life

THE PRAYER OF JABEZ BIBLE STUDY
published by Multnomah Books

2001 by Ovation Foundation, Inc.
eISBN: 978-0-307-78440-7

Scripture quotations are from:
The Holy Bible, New King James Version
1984 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV)
1973, 1984 by International Bible Society,
used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House

Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT)
1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved.

The Good News Bible: The Bible in Todays English Version (TEV)
1976 by American Bible Society

Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of The Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

MULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc.

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S ometime around three thousand years ago, one of historys great nobodies decided to pray. When he looked at himself and his circumstances, he saw no reason for hope. But when he prayed, he prayed the boldest, most hopeful prayer he could imagine. And God answered.

God is still answering. The prayer of a man named Jabez is motivating millions of people today to seek the Lord in a new way, to cry out to Him for blessing, and to reach for a larger life in His service. Are you one? Then you too are an answer to Jabezs prayer.

Once you see what God can do through His most ordinary servants, youll never want to slide back into mediocre living. For too long, Christians have drastically underestimated Gods desire to bless them and work through them to accomplish His will in the world.

If Jabez were around today, hed be quick to tell you that the words of his little prayer hold no magical powers. But he would also tell you that if you want to experience Gods greater purpose for your lifeno matter how unpromising your circumstances might be right nowyoure just a prayer away.

T HE L ITTLE M AN WITH N O F UTURE

If you havent read The Prayer of Jabez yet, I highly recommend you do. If youre new to the story, youll find it in 1 Chronicles, buried in the official genealogies of the tribes of Israel. The historian, writing about 500 B.C., traces the official family tree of the Jews from Adam through thousands of years up to his own time. That endeavor makes for hundreds of namesmost of them unfamiliar and hard to pronounce.

Take chapter 4. The sons of judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. And thats just verse one.

Ahumai

Ishma

Idbash

Hazelponi

Anub

A D IFFERENT K IND OF B IBLE S TUDY

The four-week Bible study youre holding invites you to go deeply into Gods Word to see how the message of Jabezs little prayer is supported and explained by the whole of Scripture. Besides being biblically based and felt-needs oriented, the study has several key distinctives:

Its topical. We focus on the biblical reasons to pray for blessing, influence, power, and protection so that we can do Gods work in the world. You wont find, for example, a book study or an in-depth approach to theology or doctrine.

Its conversation friendly. Some questions are information based. Some are intended simply to provoke a helpful discussion.

Its designed for individual or group use.

Its question driven. Sometimes called the Socratic method, this teaching method pulls you from topic to topic through a sequence of key questions.

It incorporates several learning approaches. Youll find inductive studies, fill-in-the-blanks, personal inventories, character profiles, Bible exposition, activity-based assignments, and inspiring quotes.

It offers optional study plans. The study presents more learning opportunities than a class can complete in an hour. Select the material that will work best for you. Some groups will want to extend this four-part study to an eight- or twelve-week course.

Its all about life change. The whole purpose of studying Gods Word is to be changed in our character and our behavior so that we please God more, become more like Christ, and serve Him more every day.

B IBLE V ERSION

The study, as well as the book it is based on, has been prepared using the New King James Version of the Bible. Using that version privately or in class will ensure convenience and clarity, but it is not required.

Not exactly suspenseful reading! But midlitany, the chronicler stops. One name deserves special comment:

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, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain! So God granted him what he requested. (1 Chronicles 4:910)

H ELPING Y OU G ET A ROUND

Youll see three icons used throughout the study to help you use the material more quickly.

indicates a key verse, definition, or explanation that you wont want to miss.

indicates optional material for further study. Use this icon to help you decide what materials you can leave for later.

indicates a group process question that focuses on life.

R ECOMMENDED R ESOURCES

The Prayer of Jabez Audio, read by the author, can provide busy people with an easy way to learn and review the message of the book.

The Prayer of Jabez Devotional (and accompanying Journal) by Bruce Wilkinson. This thirty-one-day devotional follows the same four-week structure as the Bible study.

If you are a teenager (or have one in your home), I recommend The Prayer of Jabez for Teens. These resources are all available from Multnomah Publishers.

For younger kids, I suggest The Prayer of Jabez for Kids (Tommy Nelson).

Visit www.prayerofjabez.com for recent updates on the Jabez phenomenon, new product information, inspiring stories from readers, and help from Hot Questions, Helpful Answers, a response forum from the author.

Also watch for the Prayer of Jabez videos, coming in 2002.

In the next verse, the roll call continues as if nothing has happened