I Chronicles 4-6
I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most of us have heard of “the prayer of Jabez”. We may not know what that prayer is, but we’ve probably heard of it because of the best-selling book, The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson with David Kopp, published in 2000. I’ve never read the book, so I cannot comment on whether it is any good, but it was extremely popular among Evangelicals for a while (and may still be) with a minor industry developing around auxiliary materials: devotionals, Bible study guides, a version for women, a version for teens, a version for kids, wall art, etc. I mention the “prayer of Jabez” because the actual prayer is right here in today’s reading:
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.
I Chronicles 4:9-10
So, in case you’ve been thinking that these early chapters of I Chronicles don’t have much to offer, think again. They can pay off handsomely — especially for book publishers… 🙂