How do Pray: Jesus or Jabez?

"Dear Reader, 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". That's the preface of "The Prayer of Jabez" by Bruce Wilkinson. This is the actual prayer of Jabez, found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. Well, the Bible says Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, that was it. So, why did God granted him what he requested? The Bible says in Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Probably that was the reason. But, if there's another reason, it is irrelevant. Why? Because that was between Jabez and God, God and Jabez, the prayer of Jabez is not a GUARANTEE that all our prayers will be answered, even if we have a faith like Abraham. I remember when I got this booklet, I was just starting my walk with God, so I did what Mr. Wilkinson suggests, I started my "thirty days of penance" (penance: A duty or religious devotion imposed by a priest during the sacrament of confession). I really started praying that prayer, convicted that God would grant my requests. After a couple days, God said to me: "Stop that. That's not what I want." Well, why would God say something like that? The answer we find in Jesus' Prayer (the one He thought His disciples), Matthew 6:7-13 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Do you see the difference between Jesus' and Jabez' prayer? JESUS: Your kingdom come; JABEZ: enlarge my territory. There's nothing wrong in asking God to bless us, but, we should pay attention to the words of Jesus Christ: "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done". Jesus sounds very "cheap" considering what the post-modern christianism teaches. Why ask for "our daily bread" if we can ask for "a mansion, a ferrari, a private plane, etc.?" Why enlarge God's kingdom if we can enlarge our territory? Why have God's will done on earth if we can have ours, don't we know what's best for us? Of course not! Again, I'm not saying that we all should make a vow of poverty or should be like Lazarus, the beggar (Luke 16:20), but, whatever God wants us to be, this is what we should dream of. John also wrote about it: 1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. Do you really see the difference between John's and Wilkinson's teaching? John teaches if we ask anything according to God's will, He hears us and Wilkinson teaches if we ask anything praying Jabez's prayer, God always hears us. I encourage you to pray according to God's will, if you don't know His will, ask Him and He will reveal it to you.