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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Loving Father, thank you again for your faithfulness to me through my years of being your child. You know that I often feel discouraged, distracted, concerned about many events and the people caught in problems. Please help me to remember your constant Presence in my life through the Lord JESUS’s gifts of grace abundantly given to me daily. Open, by Your Holy Spirit, my eyes to see Jesus, ever beside me. Amen
Dear Gracious and Heavenly Father, you know just what I need when I need it. I am so often focused on others and helping them, giving until I have nothing else to give. I neglect myself. I neglect my time with you. Reading this email today is Your friendly reminder to take time for myself. I know that the time I have taken from volunteering myself and spreading myself too thin is what You desire for me. It is okay to focus on me. I pray for You to continue to point me in the direction You would have me go. Put me where I will flourish for you. Thank you Lord for loving me unconditionally! Help me to share that love with others.
In Your Precious Son’s Name, Amen.
Lord I ask you to heal my body, my mind and my heart. Give me wisdom to teach my son diligently, mother my adult son well, and love my husband with my whole heart.
Lord God, She’s right. Why do I feel guilty when I pray for myself? I know that you care for me and want what’s best for me but I haven’t been willing to turn everything over to you. There are times when I pour my heart out to you in a selfish way but I won’t let you have the burdens that I carry. I worry more about my kids and how to help them than I do for myself to the point where I can’t even help them. Help me to change this. Help me to understand how you can take the day to day problems and give me more peace. Help me to turn the problems that are too big over to you and let you show others how to become more God sufficient rather than “mom” sufficient. For you to do this would take a heavy load off of me that I seem to want to carry all the time. Thank you for your never ending love. I know with you I have hope. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Lord, You know the anchor that weighs on my soul and how I long for intimacy with You. Help me to put You first in my life so my priorities are in the right place. Remove the mindless clutter and meaningless concerns on my heart and show me what is truly important. Help me to be a good steward of the hours you have given me today so at the end of the day when my head hits the pillow I will not be exhausted and worn out, but at peace knowing that You had ordained my steps and are saying, “welldone my good and faithful servant.”
I love this prayer, thank you!
Dear Lord,
It is sometimes easier to pray for the needs of others sincerely than it is to bring thoughts of ourselves to you. Often it feels like we are just bringing a shopping list. But I know you care and you want to hear and I just pray that you will give me strength to get through things, wisdom to make right decisions and patience in waiting for your answers. I pray this in Your name, Amen.
Lord I am so glad I don’t believe in consequence but in the predestination of your will for my life. At this.
point in my life I could write these same words. I feel hopeless in my ability to fix the mess that is my life but I am encouraged that at this lowest point you will be my strength and produce a fantastic testimony for your glory. Remove the anger that consumes me and controls my every move and give me your love and compassion. I am the end of me show me you. In Jesus name. My sisters in Christ pray for me as I begin this journey of surrender.
Dear Father God,
As you know my heart, and my journey in seeking You and drawing close, I lift up myself to you right now. Hold me tight as you know I tend to give in or pull away at times. I pray that I stay on the straight and narrow path. Please fill me with the fruits of the Spirit. My desire is following my Creator and my Savior, I pray I don’t let You down. Please guide me and give me the wisdom and tools I need to persevere. Thank you Lord for Your everlasting love! In Jesus Name I pray!! Donna
Dear Lord,
Thank you for loving me the way that I am. Please help me to remember that I need you each and every day. Help me to remember that I am not supposed to be able to handle everything on my own. And help me to remember that I need to take care of myself first so that I will be better at being able to serve you and taking care of the loved ones in my life. I am so grateful for your presence in my life – please help me to recognize it more and more.
Amen.
Lord, You know my struggle to feel worth your time. Please let me feel that I am special to You.
Father, allow me to gaurd my words and use them wisely. Guide my heart and emotions in the right direction. Allow every word and action that comes from me first come through You. In Jesus name, Amen.
Dear Heavenly Father, I praise you for you are a faithful, all Knowing and in control of all things. I thank-you for my salvation, your plan for eternal life and your Holy word that you gave to us to read and to guide us. You know my heart Lord, I desire to walk in your will daily. Please help me to listen for your small quiet voice to speak to my heart. I’m seeking you for wisdom and guidance as to where you want to use me. Help me to act when you call me to share your love with others. Thank-you Lord for the positive steps we have taken in our marriage, just because you have helped me to surrender myself and to allow you to work out bitterness in my life. You are an amazing God, you answer prayers daily. I will wait for you to speak before I act. I love you and I love being your feet and hands. Amen
Dear Lord,
I come to you this morning with the two things you try to remind me of every new day: “For I know the plans I have for you,”(Jer. 29:11) and the song that plays over and over in my head, “What we Gonna Do Today?” But Lord, you have had me in this season for awhile(a similar one from 25 years ago) where I ‘feel’ forgotten by You at times. I look back at the miracles/blessings You have poured on me, my family, friends in our church. I praise you for that! But you know my struggles…I keep laying strongholds down at the cross, only to pick them back up again. Please help me to leave them there and not submit to the enemy’s attacks on my weaknesses. I’m trying to be patient, serve others as you gave me that gift, be still & listen; but Lord, my heart is weary and my mind is battling thoughts that aren’t from you. Menopause and teenage children aren’t a good mix either, but I trust you know what you are doing there too. Give me the strength to totally surrender my ALL, not leaving one past mistake, unrealistic expectation of myself/others, or discouraging words from ‘friends’ to dangle over me and lose focus on the love you have for me. Give me the courage to do Your unimagineable with the life you gave me; not the life I think I should have. In your precious name I pray Lord, Amen.
Heavenly Father, sometimes, well alot of times, I do not even have the words to pray. But Lord you know what is in my heart. Help me to draw close to You, and to feel your peace. In Jesus precious name, Amen.
Dear Lord, Calm my fear, allow me to see the road you want me to travel, clearly, through Your eyes, and Your soul. Help me to have the strength I need to continue to support those in my life that challenge me every day. Amen
Lord, help me! Please transform my family. I desperately need you to show me what to do for my three beautiful girls.
Dear Lord,
I just want to thank you for waking me up again this morning to my beautiful baby boy. Lord you know my situation with everything that is going on in my life right now. I know you are teaching me something and even though it’s the hardest thing I have ever went through I know there is a reason and you have a plan for me and my son. I also know you have used this situation with me to draw me closer to you and be in the word more than ever. I just ask you to give me patience and faith in you that I know you know what is best for me and my son. Lord I ask to help me to strive to be the best mom I can be and to help me get my education to better myself and my son’s life. I ask you that I will be able to find a babysitter that I can trust for my son so that I can work full time to be able to provide a home for us. I also ask you to take this nasty cold away from me and my son that we have recently gotten. I know one day that there with be no more pain, suffering, or sickness just rejoicing with you in Heaven! In Jesus name I pray Amen.
Lord, I thank you for loving me and keeping me sain. Please renew my spirit of hope. Please help me not to give up and to continue to see all of the good that you do. I need you Lord. In Jesus name I pray Amen.
Lord you know the desires of my heart and only you know the negative feelings that come daily. I ask that you fill my heart with kindness and gentlenessand give me your strength and courage to deal with the negative. I pray for a heart like yours
Heavenly Father, I thank You, for Your gift of faith! I thank You that Your Word is truth and it says if we ask anything according to Your will, then it shall be done! I ask You now, Lord, to please increase my love for You; that I may love others. In so doing, I will shine brightly and point the way to You!
Thank you for the blessing of this book, and I ask you to bless Julie for writing it.
Amen!