[July 2001 journal entry]
I recently read in the New York Times that 4.1 million copies of The Prayer of Jabez have been purchased in the last three months. The prayer – “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border (territory), and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm” (1 Chronicles 4:10). The author admonishes readers –
“I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers. It is brief – only one sentence with four parts – and tucked away in the Bible, but I believe it contains the key to a life of extraordinary favor with God. . . . Thousands of believers who are applying its truths are seeing miracles happen on a regular basis. Will you join me for a personal exploration of Jabez? I hope you will. . . . You will change your legacy and bring supernatural blessings wherever you go. God will release his miraculous power in your life now. And for all eternity, He will lavish on you His honor and delight. . . . ”
Thousands and thousands of readers who are now praying the formula over and over every day are willing customers for unabashed commercialization (e.g., sequels for specific age groups as young as eight years old, CDs, key chains, a line of jewelry, backpacks, candles, mouse pads, mugs, . . .).
