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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Father God, I cry out for help. I feel like I cry out the same prayers year in and year out with no change in my life. Lord, I am to a place of desperation. I am dying inside and only You can bring life. I’m struggling to believe that my home can ever be a place of godly love and peace. Please help me and show me what I need to do. I know I can’t change others and I’m not called to do that. I’m called to change, please show me how. I don’t know how to stop this downward spiral. Grant me Lord wisdom and strength, joy and peace. Thank you Father for Renee and all of these honest women who share their hearts. Meet their needs. Minister Your grace to us, In Jesus name, Amen.
Dear Lord, Thank you for this day. help me to do a better job of “let go, let God” in my life each day. you know the path for me..open my heart and my eyes so that I can better follow Your Way for me.
Funny timing. I’ve struggled with an important coworker since I started my job three years ago. I am tired of the unnecessary stress and have realized I can’t fix it. As I was walking into work yesterday undecided to get brave and bold and ask God for favor in this persons eyes. Near the end if the day this person stopped by my office to tell me I am doing a good job and handling a tough situation well. I have nerve heard any positive statement in three years. God is good! Glad in prayed for myself. 🙂
Father, thank You for the reminder that it is not only okay to pray for myself, but essential to do so. Lord only You know what the outcome of my situation will be. Please give me Your strength & peace to make it through one moment at a time, looking to You. Help me to some how be a witness to You through this.
Dear God, help me to do more than just go through the motions of living. Please show me the path you would have me take and five me the strength to take the first step.
In Jesus name, Amen
Lord, I will get straight to the point. I need peace and patience and most importantly faith and strength to deal with the things I may come against to build me up in these areas. I need you to help me to know what to do next since I graduate in May. Help me to not continue to procrastinate and have the motivation and determination I need to finish this 20 page paper by Monday that I have to do to graduate. Help me to keep pushing even when I am being pressed on every side. Help me to totally trust in You. I love You and I thank You in advance for answering this prayer. In Jesus name Amen!
dear Lord, please help me to remember that your “no” does not mean rejection but redirection.
Dear Jesus,Please help me to wait on your perfect timing for things to happen in my life. I love you Lord. Amen.
Father, give me wisdom.
Feeling like I don’t matter and that I am a misfit, the Prayers to Pamper Your Soul came at the right time. Our God is so faithful to speak to us in many ways in addition to His Word. Thank you.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this wonderful day! I love you and praise your Holy name. I need you, Lord. I want to be like you. I pray that you will shape me and mold me into who you would have me to be. I need your help, God, to teach me and guide me and to love me through every situation. Please take all my fears away dear God. Give me the words to say when speaking to my children. Help me to be a good example of how to live for you. Help me to have self control and to speak words of kindness and encouragement. Help me to persevere when my body hurts, my mind is overwhelmed and when I feel like giving up. Help me dear God to stand on your truth and promises that you so freely give. In Jesus name I pray. Amen
Dear Lord,
Why do I find it so hard to talk to and with you? You have said so many times that you WANT to listen to me. Please give me the wisdom to know that you are my best friend and want to help. Please help me to know that the abuse that happened to me as a child wasn’t my fault and shouldn’t be my shame. I don’t have to tell you how much I still struggle with that. I will continue to read your poignant words and pray that a time comes when your loving promises permeate the wall I put up so long ago….
In Jesus’ name I fervently pray, Amen
Father, you know I have warn myself down trying to care for others in my family. Help me to find your strength in order to give myself time to heal and give control of the things I am not to control. Thank you for helping me get the correct perspective. The one you keep pursuing
Lord, give me a Heart for You & Your Word, the rest will fall in to place. In Jesus’ name.
Lord, this is unnatural asking help for myself today. So many others near and dear to me need your help. Please help those on my mind, first. Also, God, I need wisdom today about some burdens that are weighing me down and big problems we are having–especially financial. Please help me to Let It Go–and Let You work in our lives! Guide us in the way your path wants us to go! In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Lord, I come to you with a thankful heart for all the blessings, known and unknown, that you bestow upon me. I ask you today to give me wisdom, knowledge and understanding in every situation, conversation, and opportunity that comes my way. I pray that you will help me make healthy choices. And I pray that I will see through others’ eyes, not just my own often narrow view. I ask that you help me show your loving kindness in all I do. Give me a renewed hunger for your Word.
In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen
Lord you have told me to trust in you and I will be helped. I need your help today. As I prepare myself for this surgery that is before me, I pray you will help me to accept whatever outcome you deem necessary. My prayers reach out to you to calm my anxious heart and continue to feel the peace of the Holy Spirit that you have blessed me with this past year. Bring this peace and trust to my marriage Lord as we deal with the many changes before us. In your name I pray with love.
RIGHT NOW I WOULD APPRECIATE PRAYERS FOR HEALING FROM A SINUS INFECTION AND CROUPY COUGH THAT I HAVE HAD FOR TWO WEEKS ALREADY!!!
Heavenly Father, I thank you for all of the blessings you have given me! Lord, you know what I have been going through with my 85 year old Mother’s dementia and now recovery from surgery for a broken Femur. I am trying to leave at your feet the burden of deciding what her future holds as far as the best nursing home to fit her needs. I know I talk to you and say I am leaving this at your feet, but then the next thing I know is that I have this heavy burden on my shoulders. I am praying to you for me to let it go and let YOU! Amen
Dear Lord,
It is not logical to pray for myself, and as a woman, I think many of us struggle with that, as we consistently pray for others.
Thank you that you will guide me in this. Amen