Women: How to Pray God’s Word for Your Life

Editor's Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of Kathi Lipp's new book, Praying God's Word for Your Life (Revell Books, 2013).

God has wired women to nurture others, so it’s natural for us to pray for the other people in our lives – from our husbands and children, to our neighbors and coworkers. But how often do we make time to pray for ourselves?

Praying for your own life isn’t selfish. In fact, it’s the best thing you can do as a caring, nurturing woman. When you pray for yourself you invite God’s power into your life, which will give you the strength you need to give to others as God leads you.

Here’s how you can incorporate truths from God’s Word, the Bible, into your prayers so God’s power will flow through your life:

Recognize why it’s worthwhile to pray through Bible verses. Reasons why praying Scripture is a valuable pursuit include: God asked you to pray faithfully and His Word encourages you in your faith, God wants to enjoy a personal relationship with Him and the Bible reveals important truths about who God is so you can know Him better, God has given you all you need to live a holy life and much of that valuable information is in His Word, God wants to give to you abundantly when you ask and the Bible contains promises you can claim to ask for God’s provision, and God always answers prayers that reflect His will as He reveals it in the Bible.

Develop a plan and establish a habit of prayer. Figure out the details of what works best for you to start a daily prayer time with God. Choose a time when you focus on prayer, such as just after waking up in the morning, on your lunch break, or just prior to going to sleep at night. Choose a quiet place that’s as free of distractions as possible, such as a corner of a room in your home, your yard, or your car. Start praying for just one minute a day and gradually work your way up to a longer time. The more time you spend communicating with God, the more you’ll enjoy prayer, and the more you’ll look forward to your prayer times.

Pray when you’re overwhelmed. When the stresses of life overwhelm you, you can pray verses such as Matthew 11:28 (asking Jesus to bear your burdens and give you rest) and Luke 10:38-40 (praying for the wisdom you need to best balance your time, energy, and resources).

Pray for your relationship with God. Draw closer to God by praying verses such as Psalm 36:5-6, 10 (telling God that you want to feel His love, see His faithfulness, learn from His righteousness, and experience His justice) and Romans 8:28 (asking God to use your life for His good purposes).

Pray for your relationships with others. You can support your relationships in prayer by praying verses such as Proverbs 12:26 (asking God to give you the wisdom to choose friends who will lead you toward Him rather than away from Him) and Psalm 133:1 (praying for help to resolve conflicts and live with others in peace and unity).

Pray for your marriage. Invite God’s power into your marriage by praying verses such as 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (asking God – the source of all love – to give you love for your husband every day and put that that love into action) and Genesis 2:18 (praying for empowerment to help your husband in ways that honor God).

Pray for your role as a parent. Support your work as a mother by praying verses such as Ephesians 6:4  (asking God to help you raise your children in His training and instruction so they become the people that He intends them to become) and 1 Peter 5:2 (thanking God for entrusting your kids to you and asking for help to care for them and serve them well).

Pray when you feel inadequate. Seek confidence from God when you feel inadequate by praying verses such as Hebrews 4:16 (thanking God that you can always approach him boldly and count on receiving His mercy and grace whenever you need it) and Psalm 59:17 (praising God for your being your source of strength and relying on Him to help you with whatever you need).

Pray when you’re at work. Ask God to help you serve Him well in the workplace by praying verses such as Colossians 3:23-24 (committing your best effort to your work as an act of faithfulness to Jesus) and Matthew 25:14-30 (praying for the ability to be wise, savvy, honest, trustworthy, and hardworking on the job to maximize the use of your talents for God’s glory).

Pray for your finances. Seek God’s guidance for how best to manage your money by praying verses such as Luke 16:10-13 (committing to use money as a tool to serve God and asking God to help you make trustworthy financial decisions) and Philippians 4:4-7 (asking God to replace your anxiety about money with His peace and trusting Him to provide for all of your needs).

Pray when you’re worried. Overcome your worries by praying verses such as Luke 12:22-26 (shifting your thoughts away from your worries and toward God) and 1 Peter 5:7 (giving Jesus the burdens of your worries and enjoying His loving care for you).

Pray when you’re despairing. Gain healing when you feel despair by praying verses such as Psalm 34:17-18 (crying out to God about your troubles and drawing close to Him in the midst of your pain) and 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (praising God for comforting you and giving you hope, and asking Him to help you encourage others in despair).

Pray about your past mistakes. Receive God’s mercy for your past mistakes by confessing them in prayer using verses such as Ephesians 1:7-10 (thanking God for the forgiveness and redemption that He offers you) and Romans 12:1-2 (asking the Holy Spirit to renew your mind so you can resist temptation to sin and move forward to fulfill God’s will for your life).

Pray for your health. Present requests about your physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional health to God by praying verses such as Matthew 4:23 (entrusting your health to Jesus, the great healer) and Revelation 21:3-4 (asking God to comfort you when you’re dealing with a health crisis and rejoicing that there will be no pain in heaven).

Pray for your mission in life. Ask God to empower you to fulfill your mission in life by praying verses such as Psalm 33:6-11 (committing yourself to pursuing God’s purposes for your life) and Matthew 28:19-20 (asking God to help you make the most of opportunities to do what matters most: communicate the Gospel message to others).

Pray for your hope in Christ. Celebrate the hope you have in Christ by praying verses such as Ephesians 1:18-21 (thanking God for connecting you with Him and giving you the power to overcome sin) and Psalm 139:6 (asking God to help you use your earthly lifetime well, pursuing eternal values that have true significance).

Adapted from Praying God’s Word for Your Life, copyright 2013 by Kathi Lipp. Published by Revell, an imprint of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Mich., http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/revell.      

Kathi Lipp is the author of Praying God's Word for Your Husband and a busy conference and retreat speaker who reaches thousands of women each year. She is the author of several books and has been a guest on numerous national radio programs, including Focus on the Family. She and her husband have four children and live in California. Find out more at www.kathilipp.com.

Whitney Hopler, who has served as a Crosswalk.com contributing writer for many years, is author of the new Christian novel Dream Factory, which is set during Hollywood's golden age. Visit her website at: whitneyhopler.naiwe.com.

Publication date: July 9, 2013