My sweet friend Julie Gillies is here to share with us the story behind her new and beautiful devotional book “Prayers for a Woman’s Soul.” It’s resting on my bedside table and God’s using Julie to remind me how important it is to pamper my soul with prayers. Julie and our wonderful friends at Harvest House Publishers are giving away two copies of her book here today.
I didn’t start praying for myself because I was holy or wise. I started because I was desperate.
My marriage often felt like an emotional torture chamber. Negative and critical thoughts consistently bombarded my mind. And my emotions felt as shattered as a water goblet dropped on a cement driveway.
The hardest part was I felt stuck. It seemed like nothing was ever going to change, and I felt myself longing to give up on the inside. And that is when I sensed God nudging me to start praying for myself—regularly. Daily. I sensed that if I didn’t heed that holy nudge, I wasn’t going to make it.
So I began to pray for myself.
Initially the only uninterrupted time I could find to pray for myself was in the shower, so I prayed while I scrubbed, emerging to face each day with clean skin and an equipped heart.
That was the beginning of my soul-transforming prayer journey.
The truth is there are a lot of women facing incredibly hard circumstances right now. There are women enduring miserable marriages, women whose hearts still reverberate with pain from the past, and women who are in stressful situations that make them want to give up. Maybe you’re one of them.
Or maybe you simply have a sagging plate and a really long prayer list. Perhaps life is good for you, but both your to-do list and your prayer list are as long as your arm.
Or maybe, like most women I know, you’re a nurturer and a caretaker, a front-burner prayer woman who prays for whatever is boiling over at the moment—and there is always something boiling over—but you neglect to pray for yourself.
It’s counter-intuitive, praying for ourselves. I mean, we’re hard wired to help others—and that’s good. But God never intended for us to help others to our own detriment. He never intended for us to pray for our spouses, our kids, sick pets, our friends, and world events but not to take time to pray for ourselves.
Amazing things happen when we pray. I started praying out of sheer desperation, and God moved. He not only transformed my mind and healed my emotions, He transformed my marriage. I truly believe in the message of Prayers For a Woman’s Soul: that praying—for ourselves—is absolutely essential. Without it, we will languish. Equipped through prayer, we can soar through our days. As we take time to pray for ourselves, we partner with God and can watch in amazement as He moves and brings hope, healing, and transformation to our lives.
Enter to Win: Click on the words “Share Your Thoughts” below this post – to enter. All you need to do is practice what Julie’s preaching and leave a little prayer for yourself. I know that won’t be easy or natural for us girls, but we need this :). I’ll go first. You can find my prayer below when you leave yours. {If you’re reading this via email, click on the post title and hop over to my blog to leave a comment.}
Prayers For a Woman’s Soul is a holy invitation for busy, overwhelmed women with long prayer lists to take time to pray—for themselves. It’s a 52-week devotional that gives you one week to pray about a specific topic—like your emotions, your mind, or the guilt you’re hauling around. These short devotions contain personal stories, powerful biblical teaching, and specific prayer. And bonus: there are 365 topic-relevant, personalized scripture verses. One for every day of the year. So you can infuse your heart with God’s word while you pray.
Julie Gillies is the author of Prayers for a Woman’s Soul (Harvest House Publishers/January 2013). Healed from a traumatic childhood and awed that God saved her seriously troubled marriage, her message helps women pray with boldness, confidence, and the certainty that God hears. Julie is the Critique Groups Director for Proverbs 31 Ministries, and serves on the editorial team of P31 Woman magazine. She’s the wife of Keith, mom of two soldiers and one civilian, and grammy of four. Connect with Julie at: www.JulieGillies.com
Last week’s winners are: For the Husband Project – Jill, Patrice and Erin. For the Purpose Driven Mom Gift pan – Lana. Congratulations friends!
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Lord, in my weakness You are made strong. I cry out for peace that passes all understanding, wisdom to walk to the left or to the right, hearing Your voice to guide me. Give me confidence to hold my head up, my arms up in praise and my words to be pleasing to You God my Lord and Savior.
Sweet Jesus,
Please help me to stay focused on you and not all the things on my “to do” list today.
Lord, I thank you for your love and mercy. I thank you for what you are doing in my life and my husband’s life. I thank you for answered prayer. I ask you to please continue the healing process and the growing closer to you process for both of us. I ask for wisdom and confidence to continue on life’s journey. I thank you for our children, their mates, and our precious grandchildren. I pray that they will all know you as their Savior and become godly men and women. Thank you for all your blessings. I love you, Lord. Please help me to be the woman you would have me to be and to be a blessing to those I meet.
Remind me Lord, to talk with You. It’s easy to remember to pray for my needs and the needs of others–and to call out for help–but I want to praise You and thank You and just talk with You.
Lord, I pray that I will draw my strength from You and not try to do things in my own strength, that I will trust You and put You first in my life! In Jesus name, Amen!
Dear Lord God above,
Thank you for all that you have given me. Help me seek you more and learn how to stop and listen for your answers without my input. Thank you for authors such as Renee and Julie and everyone at Proverbs31 Ministries that give such encouraging words and wisdom. Thank you for all you have done for me and my family. Amen
Lord,
As I seek your face, reveal yourself to me. I long to know you in a deeper way than I’ve ever know. Thank you for loving me as I am, but loving more to have me be more like you. I want you to look down on me and say “You make me proud”.
Lord,
I pray that you will help me continue in the path you have drawn me on: the path of forgiveness and the path of healing, the path of growing spiritually. I pray that you open my eyes to your will for my life. I pray that I can be the wife, mother, sister, and daughter that you made me to be and that when I fail you open my eyes to that and lead me to your healing. I praise you, Lord for the many blessings you have brought into my life.
In your holy name I pray
Amen
Last night, I was at the point where all I could muster up to say was “God, I’m tired!”. Being a single mom (without any help), working full time, raising two beautiful girls, trying to be involved in ministry, and keeping friendships alive is exhausting. They are all things I want in my life (well, except for working a secular job full-time – my heart is full-time ministry, but for now I know I have to work or my bills won’t get paid). I want to pray … and try to ….. but don’t really know how. I know this isn’t how he wants me to live ….. Exhausted ….. so possibly this book could help me learn how to pray for myself!
Dear Lord,
I pray I can become the holy woman and wife You want me to be. I pray for healing in my body so I can be fully functioning again. I pray for my marriage and children. We need You as the center of our life. Things cannot go on as they have. Amen
I pray to have the strength to change negative habits using the tools and support from my online bible study. I keep slipping, and beating myself up, I pray to accept the forgiveness that I know God offers. 🙂
Dear Heavenly Father thank you for your unconditional love,perfect peace, and ohnyes your grace and mercy. Today I ask for this finacial burden to move out of my life, I accept your wisdom for starting my own business, I accept your strength. Help me oh Lord to continue to walk in love..In Jesus Name, Amen..
Lord, Thank you that your love is not conditional. Thank you that you have a plan for me and even when I don’t understand it or see it, you give a peace that is only found when I press into you. Thank you for your forgiveness. Give me eyes to see the path you have for me and ears to hear the needs of those around me. Keep me from being lazy and selfish and equip me with love that can only surface because of You. Create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a right spirit in me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore onto me the JOY of your salvation and renew a right spirit in me. Amen.
James 5:16
Our fervent prayers -only because of Christ is us -who Us our righteousness avail much!
God:
I clearly admit that I am insufficient without you. You are my Vine, I am your branch-abide in me and I will in you so that I can accomplish what you want me to -today-this is about process and trusting you moment by moment Not perfection .Amen
John 15
Your litl’ Kerri
Amen
Father God……Sometimes I feel so unwirthy of your love and mercy. Lord I pray that you will take these thoughts away from me for I know they are from Satan. Let your Holy Spirit fill me today and guide and direct my path……helping me to focus only on you and not what the enemy is whispering in my ear. Thank you Lord….I love you and praise you!! Amen
Lover of my soul, I pray you always hear me. I pray for a fresh vision, for a clearer understanding of your Word. I pray for revival in my children. I pray my heart always desires to seek you, even when it’s hurt and feels there is no hope. I pray you help me be less sarcastic. Actually, please remove it from my way of being! Thank you Lord for being my everything. I love you so much and am in awe at how much You love me! In Jesus sweet precious Name, Amen!
Dear God: You know I am struggling with self worth and my lack of it and I ask that you help me remove those thoughts from heart and mind. I appreciate all you given me and do for me and my feelings are not from a lack of appreciation of You in anyway. I want to feel Your Grace and Love and I want to be able to give that same love and grace to others in my life. I want to be happy again and I am searching for YOu. Please guide me as to where I need to be for You – to do Your work. I am so lost right now.
My Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this reminder that besides the many important and worthy things I pray for daily, I need to remember to add myself. I often feel inadequate and overwhelmed and seem to believe that if I pray for the situation or the person needing help, You will take care of it. That is exactly true but in the process, I forget that I too need Your help. You know I have several things on my heart. The possibility of my ex-husband and I getting back together. The financial challenge of going on my first mission trip (my first trip outside of the US) a medical mission trip to Vea, Ghana, Africa. Paying off debt this year. Advancing my career with new certifications. My health and procedure coming up this Friday. And remembering every single day that You are for me. I thank You again for this simple reminder and I love You!
Dear Lord,
Cleanse my heart so my lips and my soul can sing Your praises, You are worthy of adoration through not only my prayers but through my thoughts, my words and my actions. Help me walk with Your spirit guiding me so others can see Your glory, not my fragile state. Guide my prayer first of all, and hide me while You nourish and refresh me, for Your purposes alone.
In the strong but gentle name of Jesus, I cry for help.
Dear God, thank you for all You have given me, and all that you have taken away… please help me open my eyes and my heart to let go of this hurt, this guilt and move forward clothed only in your grace and mercy. Amen.