Learn what it means to be a woman who prays and practical ways you can develop your prayer life. We will look at 3 ways you can grow in this spiritual practice.
You may feel that your prayer life is nothing to write home about, and you need a revival in that area of your life. And you are not alone. Countless women struggle in their prayer lives.
In our modern society we are constantly bombarded with things that eat up our time. And if we are not careful our prayer time will get booted to the bottom of the list. I know…I’ve done it.
The good news is that you can develop a prayer lifestyle, and see first-hand the power of your prayers. You can start fresh! Don’t beat yourself up about. Just start taking baby steps and have the Lord help you.
Prayer is powerful, and we know this because of the miracles that follow the prayers of the children of God. We see this in scripture, church history, and even now!
And you can become a woman who prays fervently with God’s help!
Jesus showed us the power of prayer in Mark 11:24. He said that whatever we ask for in prayer, we should believe that we have received it, and it shall be ours.
Prayers said in faith are powerful, and accomplish much in our lives and those we pray for.
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. – James 5:16
Today we will look at a few women from the Bible who prayed, and see what we can learn from them. Their stories will encourage us to develop prayer lives that achieve great results. We will also see the power of a praying woman in the lives of others.
How To Become a Woman Who Prays
1. Devote Yourself to Prayer
One way you can develop your prayer life is to devote yourself to praying daily. This means creating time to pray each day, and having a heart focused on God.
One woman in the Bible who was devoted to prayer was the prophetess Anna. She was an old widowed woman who never left the temple but worshipped night and day. She also prayed and fasted all the years that she spent in the house of God (Luke 2:36-37).
Anna was devoted to praying for herself and others, and never tired in praising God for His greatness. Like Anna, we can devote ourselves to seeking God in prayer daily, and trust that He will give us the answers we seek. Devoting yourself to prayer means that you not only pray when you want something, but to worship and thank God for who He is.
I find creating a time in the morning really helps. It’s what I call my morning routine. You start your day out with Jesus and it really makes a huge difference!
2. Persist in Prayer
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. – Luke 18:6-7
A woman who prays needs to persist in prayer till she sees or hears an answer. When God answers our prayers it encourages us to keep praying without giving up.
Sometimes, the answer takes long or it’s an answer that is a different than we thought. But no matter what we have to keep holding on until we get a breakthrough.
One woman who persisted in her prayer for a child is Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel. She had prayed for a child for many years without ever conceiving.
She became frustrated when her co-wife Peninnah ridiculed her for her childlessness. One day she had reached the end of her rope and told God that if He gave her a child, she would give the child to Him for life (1 Samuel 1:10-11).
Hannah then conceived and had a son, whom she gave to the Lord as she had promised. Her story encourages us to pray until we see our answer. As a woman who prayers, there are times you will persist in prayer longer than you would like, but hold on till the end.
3. Patiently Waiting for an Answer
We don’t always get answers to our prayers immediately. We may have to wait a long time. This should not make you give up on your prayer thinking that it will never come to pass. Some of the things we pray for require God’s appointed time, and we have to be patient without losing hope.
Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was one woman who prayed for all her life for a child. In her society, it was a shame not to be able to bear children.
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, Elizabeth’s husband, he said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John” (Luke 1:13).
Elizabeth and her husband had prayed for a child, and an answer came when they were up in age. (Luke 1:18).
The fact that Elizabeth’s prayer was answered later in her life does not mean that she was doing something wrong. Sometimes we assume that we are not getting an answer fast enough because of sin or the devil.
Many times, it is because it is not yet God’s time for the answer to come forth. We must learn to be patient in prayer.
The Power of a Praying Woman
The power of a praying woman is undeniable, and we see that in the Bible. When Queen Esther gathered her maids and they prayed and fasted three days, a great miracle happened.
Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” –Esther 4:15-16
Her fellow Jews, who were going to be annihilated because of Haman, were spared. The decree issued to authorize their annihilation was reversed because of Esther’s prayer.
A praying woman will release the power of heaven to come and intervene in the lives of those who she is praying for on Earth.
When God calls us to pray, He wants to achieve certain things in the lives of others that can only happen through prayer. Women are more given to prayer in our world today judging by those who attend the prayer and miracle services in churches. This does not mean that the men don’t pray, but more women definitely pray.
Women are more in tune with the needs of others because they are nurturers at heart. We connect emotionally and was to be able to help.
They notice the things that are missing in people’s lives, and when they can’t personally meet them, they will pray. Today, you may have experienced the power of a praying woman, who saw a need in your life and prayed for you.
Another story in scripture is the Canaanite woman who had a demon possessed daughter interceded for her to Jesus. She did not give up and waited till she got healing for her daughter.
Jesus was amazed at her faith because she did not give up until He gave her a positive response. This woman tapped into the healing power of Jesus, and her daughter was healed. You can read her story in Matthew 15:21-28.
The above stories are only two in the sea of millions of stories that show us the great power we have as praying women.
We affect the lives of others positively by invoking the power of God to heal, deliver, and give breakthroughs. I encourage you take the steps to develop yourself as a woman who prays. Learn to release the power of God into the lives of those around you.
If you would like to share what God is teaching you or what you are learning about prayer. Feel free to drop me a comment below! I would love to hear from you. If you would like to grow on the topic of prayer then check out my posts below.
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Melissa is a passionate minister, speaker and an ongoing learner of the Bible. She has been involved in church and vocational ministry for over 18 years. And is the founder of Think About Such Things. She has the heart to equip the saints by helping them get into the Word of God and fall more in love with Jesus. She also enjoys family, cooking, and reading.
She has spoken in churches in California, Oregon, Texas, and Mexico and has been featured in Guidepost Magazine and All Recipes Magazine. Read More…