I learned recently that Bruce Wilkinson has moved to our city, which brought to mind the phenomenon that was his book The Prayer of Jabez.

For Gen Zers and others too young to recall, The Prayer of Jabez was a little book published in 2000 that took the world by storm. It was based on a tiny prayer found in 1 Chronicles 4:10: Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, saying: “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from the evil one.” And God granted his request.

When I say it was a little book, I mean literally. The pocket-sized publication would have barely qualified as a paperweight, yet at last count it had sold about 50 bazillion copies. (OK, it’s actually about 20 million, but for us small-time authors, once you get past a few thousand, then the bazillion sales number is a reasonable description.) Think about it—20 million copies of a book! That certainly qualifies as enlarging territory. Who does he think he is, J.K. Rowling? (For you independent Baptists out there, she is the author of the Harry Potter books.)

What is of particular interest to me is all the supplementary merchandise that gets released when a Christian book enters the stratosphere of sales. In a spirit of true Christian generosity, the publishing industry decided to fulfill every Jabez-related desire of the marketplace, so you once could purchase a leather-bound copy of The Prayer of Jabez—a real “expansion of territory” if there ever was one—along with Jabez plaques, mugs, coasters, coins, mouse pads, and more.

The same thing happened with The Purpose Driven Life, which has been translated into 85 languages and sold more than 50 million copies worldwide. As the book started flying off shelves, it wasn’t long before all the other merchandise followed, from journals to commemorative plates.

Given that I am employed in Christian higher education, finding a lucrative side gig would be a welcome opportunity so that we could afford to add pepperoni on pizza night. So I’d like to figure out how to do a little territorial expansion of my checking account by writing a book that could become a similar spiritual/literary/cultural event.

Initially, I started looking for some other Old Testament figures on which I could base a small book that would sell lots of copies. I thought about the “Prayer of Lot’s Wife” (which goes something like “Aagghh!”), the “Prayer of Jonah” (“Oh, Lord, it stinks in here! Please get me out.”), or the “Prayer of Solomon” (“Dear Lord, if I’m so smart, how did I end up getting married to all these women?”)

I finally decided it would be best to go with what I know: sermons. So I am now working on my own short book with words in large type, entitled The Sermon of Jabez. My book will recount the little-known sermon which Jabez preached at the First Community Church of Judah just after praying his now-famous prayer. Now all I have to do is write a sermon that I can include in a short book that will sell bazillions of copies. Oh, and don’t forget the plaques and mugs.

Feel free to contact me about the movie rights, but be warned: I’m holding out for Brad Pitt as the lead.

Looking For My Jabez

Michael Duduit is founder and Executive Editor of Preaching. He has written and edited several books, none of which has thus far sold bazillions of copies . . . but there’s always hope.