Dennis, a Baptist minister in Lakeland, Fla., recounts a number of excellent reasons for not
praying the Jabez prayer made famous by Bruce Wilkinson's bestselling gift book. But he claims that the alternative to ignoring Jabez's words—living a life filled with the miraculous touch of God—is just too tempting to pass up. In an obscure passage of I Chronicles (4:10), Jabez begs for blessing, that he might bring honor to God. As paraphrased by Dennis, this concise prayer reads, "Lord, bless me indeed. Do something so big in my life that it is obviously from you. Increase my influence and opportunities for you. And give me a sense of your continual presence and direction. Protect me and keep me from falling into Satan's traps. Amen." Dennis's text dissects this prayer and walks the reader through the biblical principles taught in this minuscule yet mighty scripture. Using humorous anecdotes and real-life stories that tingle the spine with their authenticity and power, Dennis weaves timeless truths together with modern-day challenges. By successfully incorporating Jabez's prayer into daily life, Dennis says, Christians will be launched into lives of change, heightened spiritual sensitivity, inexplicable happenings and immeasurable impact for Christ. (Apr.)
Forecast: This "prayer experiment" by Dennis could very well be the companion resource to Bruce Wilkinson's bestseller,
The Prayer of Jabez.
Multnomah, Wilkinson's publisher, has just gone back to press for an additional two million copies, bringing the total copies in print to over four million. Zondervan may be able to capitalize on that success by offering this more in-depth title as a second step for Jabez fans.
