Tuesday, October 26, 2010

A Woman's Call to Prayer :: Chapter 1

I picked this book up at the local Christian book store and have been telling myself that I must read it... after I finish the other book that I am reading.  Well, ladies and gentlefolks, I have finished Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot ( a MUST read) and am now a happy reader of A Woman's Call to Prayer by Elizabeth George.  I am but 2 days into it, 2 chapters into this wealth of knowledge and I feel as though I have grown already.  I am so excited beyond words about reading this book.  I long so deeply to become a woman of prayer.  A woman so devoted to God and to prayer that everything else that I do fails in comparison with it.  I want a flame for Christ.  A flame that cannot be quenched with worldly desires.  I want to be a Woman after God's own heart...

So, what I am going to try to accomplish is a post a day on the chapter that I read that day.   I don't know what kind of a post it would really qualify as, so I am just going to call it highlights-from-my-morning-devotionals.  :) Okay, so maybe that won't work, but that will be the gist of the goal.

I am going to encourage you ladies to go and find this book whether on AmazonCBD, your local book store or wherever you are able to find this book and buy it!  Maybe you already have it, maybe you have already read it, but whatever the case I would like you to go along with me on my journey as I desire and strive to become a woman of prayer.  I will jot down the parts that really catch my eye for you all to see.  If you are reading it or have read it and there is something that caught your eye that I didn't post about, let me know! I would LOVE to see what you got out of it.  I want to grow but also I want you to grow with me.  It's a journey that cannot be walked alone.    If you don't want to do any of what I have asked, then by all means don't!  But please do read and admonish and encourage me when needed.

Most importantly I want ALL the glory to go to God.  He alone is responsible for any growth that we receive in our lives.  He alone is worthy. 


Chapter 1:: Beginning the Journey into Prayer

Imagine what kind of  transformation would occur in our hearts if we spent time (or more time) each day drawing near to God through His Word-- time spent on something of eternal, life-changing value!

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.... My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You
--Psalm 42:1; 63:1--

Let's embark on a joint journey of learning more about prayer.  Let's seek a life lived "on bended knee." 

We just don't arrive one day at the point where we can mark "learn to pray" off our to-do list! It's as my Jim always says,  "If you want to humble the mightiest Christians, ask them about their prayer life."


Pray Now-- Put your book down, grab your kitchen timer, and go somewhere where you can shut the door or be alone.  Then pray for five minutes.  Use these initial golden minutes to share with your heavenly Father your heart's desire to answer His call upon your life to  become--and be!-- a woman of prayer.


Get Organized--Round up some kind of notebook.  Whatever it is, do what you can to make your choice personal, pleasing, and inspiring. Just choose something that will aid you and inspire you to take your first beginning steps down the path of your journey into prayer. 

Look Ahead-- Look over...and pray over...the next week on your calendar of events. Pay particular attention to the pattern of your life--of your daily routine, of the needs of those in your family or those closest to you.  Then mark on each day for the next week the exact time you will designate as your payer time.  "There is no right or wrong way to pray...except not to pray!"



He who has learned how to pray
has learned the greatest secret
of a holy and happy life.



Pg. 13-21

3 comments:

Bethany said...

Oh my. That looks amazing!!!! I want to read it---thanks for posting about it; it looks like something DEFINITELY not to miss out on!!! I'm going to try to get my hand on a copy asap. :) :)

Bill Sweet said...

Good afternoon,

My computer picked-up on the words "A Journey Into Prayer" which happens to be the title words of my book.

You might be interested in the studies on prayer which include the work of the Spindrift Research Team that began its scientific peeks into prayer back in 1969.

The Spindrift amateur scientists have contributed much to the science and religion dialogue. In the research we have learned some insights into the workings of prayer: when it's positive, or biased, or amiss, or when prayer is used negatively by some people. Of course, holy prayer is only good and there are some people who are geared that way which we hope would become the motive behind most people.

Take a look at the www.SpindriftResearch.org website. Many questions are addressed on the FAQ page. More questions can be found on the Documents page.

Best wishes,
Bill Sweet, author and a former president of Spindrift Research

Fred & Leon said...

I just finished "Passion and Purity" too! Well, I finished it a little over a week ago, and just read "When God Writes Your Love Story" by Eric and Leslie Ludy this past week... another MUST READ, if you're interested. :) Anyways, I was looking for another book to read, and you've got me sold on this one! :)

~Emily