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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Dear Father, forgive me for not sitting at your feet today. I realize I have become distracted again. Another move is looming and this time I am preparing for surgery first. Please help me, Father, to keep my eyes on you as I move forward one step at a time, in faith and in preparation. Thank you, Father, for the blessings of friendship and family. Help me not to take any of my blessings for granted as I get absorbed in all that is going on. Remind me, Father, to ask for help when I need it. Give me wisdom as I deal with my son each day. Help me to be the wife and mother and friend that you would have me be. Help me to prioritize as you would have me to do… Thank you, Lord, that you have already gone before me. I know that you will see me through the difficulties ahead.
Self, Please remember that you’re not in this life alone. Every thought, every need, every heart break is already known. Know that situations and problems are not up to my own understanding but all things work together for my good. Self, remember that in times of trouble and doubt about my abilities prayer is the only true solution. The LORD knows before I even ask what my needs are and how things are going to turn out. I need only to obey his word and leave everything up to him. It’s sometimes giving up the control and leaving everything up to him that is the hardest. I practice that everyday. I have to remember, He’s got this!
Father, this book sounds like it was written for me at this time in my life. I feel like taffey at a taffey pull. So many huge life changing issues and my breast cancer on top of life. I want my life to honor and glorify You, it seems I fail more than I succeed. I neeed You, and would treasure this book to help. Thank you Father that you hear all our prayers. Amen
Dear Lord…I sincerely pray and ask you for wisdom and perseverance in my serious troubled mariage.
I am being ignored and rejected…help me to focus on you only and not on my problems…remind me that
you are bigger than my problems….i beg you to increase my faith and help me to not walk by sight.
Help me to cast all my fears and worries upon you….thank you because you hear more than i say and you
will do abundantly more than i ask….you are the Lord of all miracles…i need you so much my Lord…thank you for never abandoning me.
In Jesus mighty name i pray these things….Amen.
Lord, help me to keep my eyes fixed on you and not the circumstances around me. For when I am weak, you are strong, and Lord I need your strength. Illuminate the path before me and make my path straight. I want to walk on the path you have for me and not my way. Help me to always acknowledge you when life seems overwhelming and burdensome. I love you Lord and want you to be my everything. Amen
Please pray for me as I am struggling greatly! My husband & I have taken back into our home my 21 year old daughter & her 9 month old daughter. We already have at home a 16 year old daughter & a 12 year old son living with us. This has put a HUGE strain on our entire family. My daughter (21 year old–Krystal) was being abused in all ways by her boyfriend. But having them in our home has completely put our home in an uproar!! There seems to be no space, no quiet time for me anymore, a lot more work in the house (I have heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure & many other complications). I am feeling like I am at my end!! Please pray!!
Lord,
Help me to rest in You. Help me to take a breath and give it all to You. In Jesus name Amen.
Lord, teach me the balance between bettering myself and letting go to allow You to work through me.
Dear Lord, thank you for ministries like this….Renee and Julie. Help me to put all my stress concerning health issues, family worries, into your Hands. Help me to claim your promises and trust you.
Dear Lord, use me today. Let others see You in me. Help me be a better wife, mother, and friend. Thank you for saving my soul. Help me respond to life’s difficult problems with grace.
Lord, please help me through my day, and all my stress, to focus on you. Thank you Lord for being there for me always. Help me to handle anything that comes my way with grace.
Dear Heavenly Father ~
Thank you for the many blessings that you gift me with. I thank you for the Proverbs 31 Ministries and for bringing it into my life. Lord, I thank you for Renee and Julie. I am so very thankful they followed your will and for the works they are allowing you to do thru them. Please let them feel your arms wrap around them in a tight hug today and let their heart overflow with your love. And Lord, I thank you for the reminder today, that while praying for others, I need to pray for myself also. And that it’s ok to pray for myself without feeling greedy. Thank you Lord for all that you do for me. In Your Holy Name I Pray, Amen!
Lord right now I ask that you bring full healing to my heart, healing from all the hurts in my past and healing from all the negative things said over me. I pray that you strengthen my heart with your love and let me see who I am to You. I pray for the freedom to walk in boldness as the woman you created me to be. Free and whole, complete in your healing!
Lord, thank you for the way You love me everyday and give me words of encouragement! Please give me wisdom and help me be a blessing for everyone around me!
Father, my prayer life seems to just be scattered through the day, help me to gather them together when spending time with you. May my prayers be sincere, honest and not habitual. Thank you for the comfort the name of Jesus floods me with. In His name, Amen!
Dear Lord, I come to you with a heart of love & gratitude for all of your blessings. I ask for forgiveness of my sins. Cleanse my heart, renew my soul & make me what You want me to be. I lift up all the ladies who are coming to you in prayer & ask for your blessings upon them. You know our hearts, Dear Lord, renew in all of us your love. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen
Lord,
There are days lately I only make it through, because I KNOW you are there. I may feel alone, afraid, uncertain, exhausted, but You have already told me you are at my side, you will give me the strength I need to make it through,You will shelter me from the storms. Thank you~ 2013 has been a very challenging year so far between health concerns, my husband needing to find a job, financial stress. I have another medical test on Wednesday, and i am praying for wisdom and healing before they do find something.
I need your love, peace and wisdom Lord, and I need you to infuse me with your peace, You alone are in control Lord, and I thank you!!!
Amen
Lord, I pray that some of the good things will start happeneing from the bead in my life….In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Yes, Lord I need your perspective and wisdom, sometimes I become weary from all the concerns of others and neglect myself. Fill me Lord, Amen
Lord, like blind Bartimaeus who was sitting by the road when you passed by, I too cry, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” “Master, I want to see!” I want to go down the road with You, Jesus. Thank You for never passing me by, but always listening to the cry of my heart: Lord have mercy on me.