The Prayer of Jabez: Bible Study

I found the study to have some excellent content. Christians need to know the information contained in this study. However, I found that the study lack continuity (thus my three star rating). The study states that you can do the study without reading through the Prayer of Jabez at the same time. Several members of our group took that advice. I think it was detrimental to their study. The book flows well and keeps you connected. The study does not flow as well, is spread over four weeks, and doesn't keep you connected to the weekly theme very well. I would definitely advise using the book with the study.

One difficult part of the study is that there is no answer key. Some of the Scripture references related to the questions did not seem to connect at all. I even have the reprinted editions that Multnomah re-released after fixing the mistakes in the first printing. I also used the leader's guide for the study. The leader's guide doesn't reveal the author's thinking on all the questions either. It does provide a basic guide to facilitating the small group, but not much more than that. I had to write my own teaching plans for our group.

One other criticism. The study looks at the four sections of Jabez's prayer. Wilkinson here fleshes out the biblical meaning of Blessing, Territory, Hand and Keep Me From Evil. I think the study, and those going through the study, would have benefited from one more week dedicated to the exploration of what it means to be honorable in the eyes of God. The book addresses it, but the study does not.

Anyway, the study has great content, even if it lacks continuity. I would definitely recommend it. I hope you enjoy it and I hope God will bless you indeed.


The Prayer of Jabez Bible Study   November 7, 2001
 6 out of 9 found this review helpful

I received this book yesterday and it excited me so much that I showed it to a group of friends last night, and we decided that we wanted to use it for a study together.