Jackie M. Johnson - Power Prayers for Women

2007 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Print ISBN 978-1-61626-948-7

eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-62029-402-4
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-62029-401-7

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

Churches and other noncommercial interests may reproduce portions of this book without the express written permission of Barbour Publishing, provided that the text does not exceed 500 words or 5 percent of the entire book, whichever is less, and that the text is not material quoted from another publisher. When reproducing text from this book, include the following credit line: From Power Prayers for Women, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the H OLY B IBLE , N EW I NTERNATIONAL V ERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Contemporary stories used in this book are real, though names have been changed to protect privacy.

Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683 www.barbourbooks.com

Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

Printed in the United States of America.

For my parents, Robert Johnson and Patti Ripani,
the ones who first taught me to pray.

Special thanks to Ken Gire for his encouragement and support, and to Judith Couchman for her advice, mentoring, and friendship. Thank you to my gracious and understanding editor at Barbour Publishing, Paul K. Muckley. I give my heartfelt gratitude to my family, friends, and Wednesday night Bible study group for your prayers that sustain me. You are loved and appreciated more than you know.

There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God.

B ROTHER L AWRENCE

Love, communication, and relationships are all important to women. We enjoy nurturing the bond of friendship by spending time togetherwhether we talk over coffee, scrapbook with friends, or volunteer together at a soup kitchen. We yearn to connect on a deep conversational level with our husbands or boyfriends. (Okay, we dont always get that, but we still yearn for it.) With our closest friends we share our longings and losses, desires and disappointments, struggles and secret dreams. Loving friendships bring us joy and fulfillment.

While emotional bonds with family and friends are essential to our well-being, so is our connection with God. Thats really the most important relationship in lifeand it can grow stronger and deeper as you get to know Him better. You can pursue friendship with God just as you would with another personthrough conversation (prayer), learning more about the person (reading the Bible), and spending time with your friend (enjoying Gods presence). From this wellspring of first love, everything else in life will flow.

Most of us want more loving relationships, more joy, more confidence, and more energy to live our best lives. We want our kids to be safe and to make wise decisions. We want more energy to balance the demands of work, ministry, family, and home. We want to be rid of our bad habits. We want to changebut we often lack the self-discipline or motivation to make change happen. Thats why prayer is so important.

Prayer connects us to the One who has the power to make lasting change in our lives. Its a holy conversation, talking and listening to God Almighty, the One who loves us more than we will ever know. In fact, thats where the power in powerful prayers comes from: being connected.

How is your love connection? Maybe you talk to God regularly, but you dont feel like youre getting through. Duty has replaced desire, and your quiet time feels dull, routine, or boring. Perhaps, like many people, you want to pray more consistentlybut even though your intentions are good, youre too busy and distracted. You want results, but answers take longer than you think they should. And sometimes, when it seems like nothing is happening at all, you wonder if your prayers are working.

When that happens, its time to get the power back in your prayers. How? By connecting and staying connected to the True Source, you could be positively transformed.

Prayer is multidimensional. Sometimes its a calming oasis, a place of silence and solitude where you can find hope for a revitalized life. At other times its a wrestling ring, where you struggle with God in a confessional, a chance to tell God what youve done wrongand find forgiveness. In that freedom, prayer becomes a celebration as you thank God for all Hes done for you and all Hes yet to do. Finally, prayer can be a loveseat, an intimate place where the Lord whispers His love for youand you say in return how much you adore Him. These blessings arent limited to a particular devotional timeyou can talk with God throughout the day in an ongoing conversation. Confessing, worshiping, and thanking Godsimply enjoying His presenceare as much a part of prayer as asking for personal needs or interceding for others.

Prayer is not a magical set of words you use to get what you want. Its not based on how you feel. Its not judged by how long you pray, or how loud, or if you use the right words. When you pray in faith, simply and sincerely, each prayer is a powerful moment in Gods Spirit.

Power prayers start with getting connected. Suppose, for example, you want to play your favorite music on the radio. Youd plug the radios cord into an electrical socket. With that connection, electricity provides the power you need. But what if you tried inserting the plug into the carpet? Nothing. It simply wouldnt work, because carpet is not an energy source.

Many of us try to plug in to alternative power sources in our lives, things like money, prestige, the praise of otherseven caffeine and chocolate. But none of those are connections that bring life. Only one Source can do that. For the real thing, the true source of power, we connect to God. And we maintain that connection through prayer, allowing His Holy Spirit to empower and energize our lives.

Though it may seem hard to believe, a truly differentmore powerfulprayer life is within your reach. Power Prayers for Women will help you get started. Each chapter contains a brief overview of an important prayer focusfrom your marriage, children, friends, and extended family, to your finances, fears, ministry, and life goals. At the end of each chapter, youll find specific prayers on various topics, to be read complete or as starter prayersoutlines to which you add your own words as you continue praying. Most important, each of the prayers is derived from scripture, so youll be praying the Word, the most powerful way to pray!