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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My Big G God, I have to admit it is hard to pray for myself when I’m not in a crisis. Thankfully, right now I’m not in one and so I begin by thanking you for that! Lord, I want to follow you and love you all the days of my life, so I ask for your help in obedience to you, help me love you even more. Lord, give me YOUR wisdom and illuminate the path you want me on, then give me the courage and obedience to be on it, regardless of what others say. My #1 relationship, my eternity rests in You, not my kids, boyfriend, co-workers, etc., but you and you, alone, so let me not be so concerned with what they will think. Let me love you and feel your love in return. Continue to seek me as I seek you. I love you, Lord with all my heart….may that be true all the days of my life.
~Your Daughter, Diane
Father God, help me to never walk where you are not leading!,
Lord, you know what I have been going through lately with Bob diagnosis of Prostate Cancer and then Dad passing away so suddenly. I felt you telling me today that I try to be strong for everyone else and don’t give myself any attention or even time to grieve. Help me to Lord to turn to you and prayer for myself so that I can be even stronger to help others but also able to let others help me. Thank you Lord for all that you have given me and will continue to give me.
Father, I feel so unworthy and unlovable, please help me to see myself the way that you do.
Dear Lord and Heavenly Father-Please be with me as I progress through life-as you only know what is next, please help be be prepared as you will is yours. Amen
Heavenly Father, you see the Dr’s appointments and tests that are ahead of me. Please give me the courage to face whatever the future holds. Grant me your perfect peace that surpasses all understanding and may Your name be glorified as you carry out your will for my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Heavenly Father,
I thank You for your nudges. Thank you for not giving up on me despite my weakness and hard headiness. That in itself should be enough to respond to You but I continue in my foolish way. I pray for me to break that self destructive behavior and be free in You. My burdens are MANY. The weight slows me down and makes is almost unbearable. But through Your grace, I somehow make it to the next day with a speck of hope. May you make that speck grow daily, strengthened in You to do Your will. I want to stop this helpless dark feeling. Let me be open to Your change for me. In Your precious name, Amen.
Dear Father, I pray for healing in my Brain. My desire is to serve you with all my heart and soul & mind
Lord, I come to you today with a glad heart for the blessings you’ve placed in my life. I thank you for them and only ask that I use them for your glory. Beyond the blessings, fill me with your love and compassion. I can get wrapped up in myself, and that’s not where you want or need me to be. Thank you for taking me outside myself to the world around me. Amen
Dear Lord,
I need patience! Patience with what the future holds, patience with my husband and my kids! Lord, not being patient brings out the worst in me! Only you know what the future holds and I need to wait for your plans to unfold. I need to remember that my kids and husband are a blessing and not to get angry with them when they don’t do things how I would do it or they are having a bad day and in turn I have a bad day!Help me to be a light that shines for you! Help me to raise my kids to know you and let THEIR light shine!! Lord you are amazing and I thank you for all of the blessings I have in my life! In Jesus name, Amen!
Father,
You know my heart, You know my will better than I do. Lord I ask that You help me to know Your heart and Your will as if it were my own. I know I haven’t done the best with this but Lord, I ask with Your help that You show me what it is that You want for my life. Help me discern Your will from my desires. I know You have plans, Lord, and I want to follow them. Help me see the way You have for me. Thank You Father for who You are!
Dear Lord, you know my pain and my broken pieces. I pray for your healing on my broken heart today. I ask for you to give me peace and comfort during this season of life. May you wrap your loving arms around me and help me through this struggle and may I find myself on the other side victorious. I ask for you to show me what you would have me to learn from this emotional journey. May you give me the strength each day to put one foot in front of the other and to tackle each day. May you help me to recognize the devil’s tricks as temptation and flee and resist those temptations. I need you, dear Lord. I humble myself at your feet and ask that you help me to be the wife, mother and daughter you created me to be. I am a mess and I lay my junk at your feet and ask that you take this burden from me. Cast all your cares upon me for I careth for you. 1 Peter 5:7.
Abba Father,
I hate where I am, who I’m becoming and the anger that burns deep within. You say I need to forgive her for betraying our friendship but I’m finding it hard to let go…I want justice. You tell me that if I seek You, I’ll find You in this desert I’m in. Father, help me to forgive through Your strength. Help me to see what You see in her because right now…I’m so hurt and alone. Jesus Name Amen.
Guide me Lord.
Thank you, Lord, for directing me to various Christian women’s blogs this week where I keep being reminded of the same important message: Lean not on my own understanding, but acknowledge YOU in all things and YOU will make my paths straight.
Help me to remember that you can not be confined to human descriptions and that your love is not flawed like the “love” we know here on earth.
Thank you that your love transcends anything I’ve experienced or can understand.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Heavenly Father, thank you for your unending love. Please help me to be the woman, wife, and mother You would have me to be. Please show me that Your ways are not my ways. May I rest in Your peace today. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Dear Lord, help me today and every day to remember that you love me as a tender Father and help me live my life out of an overflow of my love for you.
Lord, I think so often of friends and family who want and need prayer and I think so quickly that they need it more than I do. Forgive me for this pride or lack of knowledge. I am reminded today that I need to remember to be soaked in prayer and your Word just as much as the person next to me at the store, at church, and so on. Direct my paths and prayer; thank you that your Grace has prepared me for the good and the answers for today. Thank you that you are with me and no height or depth could separate me from You. Go before me this day, Lord. Amen
Heavenly Father, I come to you today with a heavy heart and a never ending to do list. Today I feel like I will never get this thing called life right. Lord I bring my brokenness to you and ask for your reassurance that I am loved. I need to see evidence that you are a part of my healing and ministry. I ask for your guidance and direction as I move forward in faith. Thank you Lord for one more day to serve you. It is in your name I pray. Amen
Dear Lord,
You’ve said that if we delight ourselves in you, you’ll give us the desires of our heart. Well, my problem is I’ve lost touch with those desires. I’m trying not to lose touch with You. Help me want what you want…help me want you more … help me know what it is to truly delight in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.