The Prayer of Jabez
Ok, so my Dad came by today to give a toy to my sons. We were talking about working from home since I do, and my husband wants to open his own business as well. So, my Dad asks me if I say the Prayer of Jabez. Sure, I'm a Christian, but I'm not as active in church as I should be. Anyway, he goes on to tell me how well it works for him. Hey, who am I to argue? His website makes about 20 times more than mine does, and he also teaches sailing lessons, which pays well. So Dad then tells me that a friend of his is afraid of the Prayer of Jabez, because every time he says it, he gets more work than he can handle. So, does it work? Do you say it every day? I thought I'd do a little research.
Prayer of Jabez: "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!" - 1 Chronicles 4:10
There are four parts to this prayer. Jabez asks God to bless him, asks God to enlarge his territory, asks God to stay close to him and asks God to keep him from harm. This sounds pretty good to me.
*Update* - I wanted to tell you a funny story regarding this prayer. My husband was in his work truck with a younger man that he occasionally hires to help him. Benny started telling his helper about the Jabez prayer and how well it works. His helper laughed at him! So, Benny said "Ok, here I'll show you!" And he read the prayer right there (he has it written in a notebook in the truck.) He turned the corner and pulled up in front of our house. I had no idea what they had just been talking about, but I came out of the house to tell him a customer had just called with another job for him. Benny's helper didn't laugh at him about the prayer anymore!
