The Prayer of Jabez

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Kindle edition of Spurgeon's classic sermon about the "Prayer of Jabez."

The sermon is based on the Old Testament passage 1 Chronicles 4:9-10:

Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that it not be to my sorrow! God granted him that which he requested.

Genres: Christian, Prayer, Christian Living

18 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1871

About the author

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was England's best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London's famed New Park Street Church (formerly pastored by the famous Baptist theologian, John Gill). The congregation quickly outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these venues, Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000—all in the days before electronic amplification. In 1861, the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle.

Reviews

[ij · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Prayer of Jabez (Sermon No. 994)
Delivered by C. H. Spurgeon

Jabez’s pray is found in the Bible (1 Chronicles 4:10), as follows:

And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested. (KJV)

This prayer became popular when Bruce Wilkerson published his book, The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, in April, 2000. There was controversy about this book and this prayer, almost immediately. Comments such as the prayer is too materialistic, how often to pray the prayer, this prayer versus the Lord’s Prayer, etc.

Spurgeon’s sermon centered around one part of the prayer:

Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed

He emphasized asking for a blessing from God, without specifics.

This is a long sermon, however it was interesting and inspirational, to me.

I don’t know the exact date that Spurgeon delivered his sermon, but he died in 1892.

[Becky Pliego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful.
“Lord, if this is not a real blessing, do not give it me.” “Bless me indeed.”

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the current surge in instruction and material to spur us to live a "radically obedient" Christian life (or something to that effect), this book probably goes straight to the heart of the matter in a much less assuming way. It claims nothing about radical/crazy/outrageous obedience/devotion to God in its title (or any words to those effects in the content), but it challenges to the core the extent to which we will trust God in all circumstances. I couldn't honestly pray some of the prayers in the book - revealing something of my own lack of trust. Nothing about saving the trafficked/feeding the orphans at the other side of the world (though I must add, these things are indeed very good). This book starts far far before that - it challenges our heart and our true devotion to God, and therefore our motivation for doing things. Much less "glamorous" than more modern books. Worth a read.

[Paul Logue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being A Man Who seeks the Lord!

Prayer is necessary, how to pray is very common! Or I don't feel that God hears my prayer. Reading this book has blessed me indeed. Love you Jesus!

[Linda Turner]

I have read this over and over, and I will probably read it many more times. It helps you know God's will for you.

[Zach Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not one for reading "christian" self help books, but I found this sermon very poetic, and very deep, and would highly recommend reading it.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate Spurgeon's take on the prayer of Jabez a lot more than the more popular book with the same name by another author. In this book Spurgeon explores what it means to be blessed and the various types of blessings we can receive; highlighting the positives and negatives of each type. He then helps us explore the type of blessing that we should be asking for that really appears to align with what scripture teaches. So while he only covers one phrase of the prayer, I thought it really covered to core of what that passage was getting at while helping the reader reflect on how to apply it to their own life. I would have given it 5 stars but felt myself wanting him to go into a little more depth on the topic-- it was a great overview though.

[ChrissiesPurpleLibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My God, bless me indeed. Give me the healthy soul. Heal me of my spiritual diseases."

Initially when I was presented to read this book I was concerned. I do not subscribe to the prosperity faith teaching and one of my earliest introductions to the prayer of Jabez was through this type of teaching. It always unsettled me because I discerned it was more than just material wealth. Pastor Sprugeon gave a biblically sound and convicting sermon on the what is means as we request "Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed!" For indeed our inheritance is far greater than the possession and outward physical expression of gain but of the spiritual inheritance and hope in Jesus. Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and justified by faith. I am so thankful I read this book! I highly recommend!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to have to read this again obviously but excellent book I am probably going to have to read Jabez's prayer again and again and from different translations.
There are four key elements or phrases to this prayer:
1. 'Oh, that you would bless me' (a prayer for FAVOUR)
2. 'enlarge my territory…' (a prayer for INFLUENCE)
3. 'Let your hand be with me…' (a prayer for ANOINTING)
4. 'and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain…' (

[Deborah Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Hope You Get This Book!!! (INDEED)

This is a quick, attention keeping, and Bible studying book. I would definitely recommend Christians and non Christians to read. It's probably less than one hours read time however; this book, will have you turning pages in your Bible and encouraging topics for discussion. You may even want to buy extra copies to share with family and friends.

[Rocky Henriques · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faithful

A faithful exposition of this portion of God's Word. As always, I was deeply blessed by Charles Spurgeon's work. Anyone new to Spurgeon should remember that he lived in another time, so his preaching style goes a little deeper than most of what we hear today. Don't rush through this; take your time and read it slowly. You will truly be blessed.

[Victoria Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Correct way to pray PRAY: The Prayer of Jabez

Awesome! Different insight and interpretation of this PRAYER! More in alignment with the WORD of God! Leaves you rejuvenated and wanting more!

[Nderitu Pius · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a contrast to the current day prayer of Jabez for a warped heart. This is a great book. Truly even if the harrow goes deep into your soul and causes you to cry out, consider it a blessing. I like this book.

[Karen Penrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A TRUE BLESSING

As with everything from Charles Spurgeon, this little known gem of a book is a BLESSING INDEED! I highly recommend, especially if you are going through trials. It helped me to focus on the TRUE blessings of God and how to ask for HIS blessings.

[Powerman61 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Prayer of Jabez

I enjoyed reading the Prayer of Jabez.
The writing style was old fashion
which made the book difficult to read,
but I was still able to get idea's that
I used to formulate my own version of
the prayer.

[Lucas Cadmiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uma descrição Inteligente ou Sábia da oração de Jabez; em qualquer situação, o importante é estar próximo do Senhor Deus...

[Shaun Marksbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not at all like the more recent, popular book. This pamphlet is a perfect antidote.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice sermon.

[Ma]

The narrator was just awful. He prounounced several words incorrectly and his intonation was strange.

[Camron Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read! Helps with learning what True blessings are. Not the self-focusing nonsense of the more popular Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson.

This is a must read!

[Lynne Krisnosky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prayer of Jabez

This sermon by Spurgeon brings clarity to the Christian and their relationship with Christ. A worthy read and a light to our path indeed!

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spurgeon is still serving us well today. This may not be what you think it is (if you’ve read other modern day authors with similar titles). This argues against the current, erroneous “health, wealth, and prosperity” teaching that some people preach. It argues against putting your hope in all those things and instead asking for God’s blessing in your life which comes in the riches of Christ. I highly recommend this. Not that Spurgeon needs a recommendation!

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spurgeon's take on these verses is not the 'health and wealth' gospel you might find in more popular books concerning this prayer. He discusses what it means to be 'blessed indeed' and points out many types of blessings. But at its heart he encourages the reader to pray for spiritual blessings, which is probably the correct interpretation. It's a very quick read.

[Lynda Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't a book, but a sermon, has some awesome prayers in it.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick read especially after the modern book on the prayer of jabez

Always a different twist from surgeon but well worth it. It wasn't what I expected but valuable nine the less.