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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God, thank you for your Love. Please stay with me today and help me get through my day. I need direction, wisdom, strength. Let me lean on you to accomplish this. Actually God I need these things always. Forgive my unfaithfulness by not trusting in you and thinking I can do these things on my own. I can’t. I need you.
In Jesus name, amen xo
Lord, Use me as an instrument of the Gospel of Christ. For my Lord’s glory, Amen.
Lord, only You know how these words touched my soul. How often I forget to pray for myself, so I can continue to help others. I feel myself spirally out of control while trying to help my Dad while we deal with his cancer. I need you to hold me so close so I can cry on your shoulder and then be strong for my parents. Sweet Jesus, thank you for loving me even I feel unlovable and distant from you. In Your sweet name, Amen
Lord, thank you for all the blessings you have given me and for always being there even when I don’t ask. Please help to let go of worries and give them to you; help me to be a stronger person and to be more Christ-like. In your Son’s most holy and precious name. Amen
Dear Lord, I need your strength today. I have been operating in my own strength and things are not going well. I pray that you will help me lean on you to do the things that you have called me to do. I pray that you will help me know how to prioritize my life in a way that pleases you. Help me to love those you have put in my life with Your love that is unconditional and long suffering. Amen.
Dear Lord, this is one area we women, I, struggle in because I’m busy doing for others. But I need you Lord. I need you so badly in my life to help me get out of my rut!
Dear Lord, please lift me up today from these discouraging thoughts. Please help me to love myself as you love me. Lord help me to soften my heart towards current situations and not hold onto unnecessary emotions. Lord please calm my anxious heart. Help heal my broken heart and just to cherish each day and live for you and follow your ways. In Jesus’ Name amen
My Beloved Heavenly Father,
Make me like yourself. Cause me to exude the radiance of Christ.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Lord, give me your strength to finish the race well.
Thank you Lord that you are my help on times of trouble and you pick me up when I fall down . This past few weeks have been the hardest I have ever had to endure and at times I felt so one even though You were there. Thank you for carrying me. Thank you Lord fir this book of prayers to help us women keep you ever present on our lives. May she be doubly blessed as the prayers bless, refresh and draw us closer to you. Amen
Dear Lord I thank you for your wonderful care for me and my family , I know you are with me even when the road to life gets rocky and hard to see. I thank you for your gift of your son Jesus who paid for my sins ,past, present and future on the cross. I ask right now for revelation of good and favor you have for me even though I do not deserve it, I thank you for your riches in grace and mercy. May I walk humbly with you today and all the days you have for me. In Jesus Name I pray Amen.
Lord, I give you thanks for this new day and for my family. I do pray that you will be near to my blessed sisters in my Bible study – the one facing cancer, the one recovering from surgery, the one with troubling family issues. You know their sadness and anxieties. Grant them peace and the comfort of your presence. Lord, I pray for wisdom in serving my family and in serving others through my part-time work. Often I feel overwhelmed, but am so task driven that I continue to serve often out of guilt. May I find my peace in you. May I relish my quiet times with you. May I bathe in your love and peace. Amen.
Lord, I am grateful that your word nurture my heart and soul. You are my Good Shepherd and you promise to never leave me, always protect me. I am grateful for these truths. I ask you Lord, today to do that which you promise, because You are faithful. You say that you will gently lead those who have young. Lord, you know the needs I have with regard to parenting. So feed me, I trust in your provision, gather me up in your arms, carry me in Your bosom, and gently lead me through this day. All praise to you. With thanks for your word that sustains me in all times but especially in this desperate and needy place called motherhood. AMen.
Father,
You have been speaking to me lately or so it seems through my dreams. When I let my guard down to sleep my deepest emotions can surface and the teaching has been unsettling though not unexpected. Help me to discern the truth and apply it my life so that I may have peace in the situations I am facing. I know that your strength and love are my support system and drawing close to you will see me through. Please unburden my heart and lighten the load of of responsibility that I feel. Open my eyes to see your truth. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Dear Lord,
You are the eternal healer, our great God above all gods, our Jehovah. I thank
you for all the blessings you have bestowed upon our family.
I am sorry for the times I haven’t trusted You for our needs for I know
You can do all things and will give good to those who love You. I pray for your loving hands
upon me as I fulfill my roles of wife and mother. Help me to be the
Godly example you have created me to be. I want to honor You in all
I do and say. I love you.
In the most precious name of Your Son, Jesus Christ,
Amen
Lord, I know Your ways are better than mine. I know that I don’t fight this battle alone. And that Your grace is sufficient for me. Lately its been a struggle to ward off the emotional thoughts . I desire Your will and to walk each day in Your love. I will not give ground to my fears. Please help me to be an example of your love with my beautiful daughters thought this trial with my ex. Let him sand allwho witness be seeded with Your Glory. I am not perfect, but You know that and still desire me. Grant me peace and whisper Your sweet love into the very essence of my life today.God is great—everything works together for good for his servant.”I’ll tell the world how great and good you are, I’ll shout Hallelujah all day, every day.Psalm35:28.No more tears , but sweet remembrance that joy comes in the”mourning”. Hallelujah, amen
Dear Lord, My past failures and insufficiencies haunt me. I am unmotivated to properly handle what life brings. I am drained of all desire to be engaged in my life, mustering strength to just go through the motions of each day. My family needs me, my career needs me, my responsibilities need me. Help me, Lord, to humble myself and depend on Your strength and wisdom to embrace my life again. I desperately need Your healing from life’s disappointments. I need you, Lord. Help me to pour out my heart to You, and not just pray what I think I should or what I think You want to hear. You created the world and everything in it, so You know what’s in my heart. Help me to share what’s in my heart with You, and walk with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Gracious God, Give me the discernment to know what is mine to do and let go of those things that aren’t mine to do.
Oh Lord, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence. Restore to me the joy of your salvation.
I am not good with words. I need to be a better mom and friend. You will give me strength to have this 6th baby no matter how scared I am. Please help this depression to leave me and to only believe in your words, but not the negativity that I think and feel.