When Women Pray

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"The angel said to her, 'Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!'" (Luke 1:28).

Joachim and Anna were at old age but prayed exceedingly for a child and promised to bring him/her to the temple. Like Abraham and Sarah, God heard and accepted their prayers and blessed them with Mary. When she was three years old, her parents fulfilled their promise and brought her to the temple. Mary grew in prayers, worship, and reading the Holy books. Mary also served the widows, needy, and the elderly.

God chose St. Mary from among all the women who have been born to carry our Lord and savior Jesus Christ in her womb because of her humbleness, her faith, and her trust that God would fulfill his promise to her people.

"Hannah prayed and said: 'My heart rejoice in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.'" (1 Samuel 2:1).

Hannah is a wonderful example of grace and humility. She and her husband Elkanah faithfully traveled to the tabernacle every year to worship and offer sacrifice. Hannah had deep and abiding love for God; her spiritual passion was seen in her prayer.

The Holy Bible tells us that Hannah was in constant anguish because she was not able to conceive a child. She begged God for one son so she could dedicate him to the Lord and he would be fit to serve in the tabernacle. When God answered Hannah's prayer, her thankful soul responds with words of praise that were filled with abundance of love for God and acknowledged his holiness, goodness, wisdom and power.

God not only blessed her with Samuel (godly son) but also with five more children.

What Do We Learn?

Prayer is not a secondary thing, but it is the most important thing we can do.

Ordinary women can have an intimate relationship with God.

God is interested to learn of our life detail, from us although he:

Sees right into the human heart
Knows our thoughts
Knows our words before we speak

These women persistently and patiently prayed.

Through prayer these women experienced grace, joy, and peace.

When women pray things will change they will:

Gain spiritual growth
Manifest Godly characters (peace, patient, love...)
Have better relationship with others

These women trusted that God would answer their prayer.

Shows us what God can do through one woman totally devoted to him.

God can hear and accept our prayer.

God will fulfill and grant us our request in his own time.

God will answer our prayer according to what is best for us.

God will answer our prayer with more than we had ever dared to ask or hope for.

"Martha was distracted with much serving and she approached Jesus and said, 'Lord, do you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.'" (Luke 10:40).

Mary sat at Jesus feet and heard his word but Martha was worried and troubled about many things. Are we identifying with Martha? Too occupied, too busy, and too distracted, most of us:

Have no time to reflect on the day in silence

Struggle to pray at Jesus' feet

Fond no quiet time to read

Avoid alone time with God

Keep a distance between us and God

The majority of women like Martha have so many things to do and accomplish (courier, children to take care of, laundry, dishes, cleaning, some time to spend with the husband and the children...) but wish to be like Mary sitting under Jesus Christ's feet listening to every word he will say and feeling like sitting with her best friend sharing moments of joy, concerns, doubts, burdens and ask him for mercy and grace.

Although we are tired and weary and emotionally drain, sitting for a few moments and spending time alone with God will allow our souls to feel nurtured, at peace, comforted and energized.

Finding Time and Ways to Pray

When we look at Jesus Christ's life we discover that He also was a very busy man. He had no time for Himself, was seldom alone, was often surrounded by people needing help, was constantly on the move, and had no where to rest His head. But in spite of all that, Jesus not only saw God's hand in everything He did but was also directed by God's spirit and the time He spent with his Father in prayer.

Pray Without Ceasing

It is a good idea to make time every day to draw away and spend time with God to pray and study the Holy Bible, but that does not mean that we are limited by schedule to pray. We can pray whatever situation arises (in the car, while working on our choirs, with the children, with our husband, with a friend, with group of people...).

How to Have a Healthy Conversation With God?

Faith: The key for a healthy relationship with God. Without it our word will be repetitious, empty, and bring no comfort.

Adoration: The word of praise and honor to our Lord for his mercy, righteousness, graciousness, etc.

Confession: For us to recognize our weakness and admit our sins, and ask God to forgive us.

Thanksgiving: To give thanks in everything, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Supplication: A humble request to God to help us improve our life and the lives of our husband, children and others.

"Then Esther told them to return this answer 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).

Esther prayed and fasted for she realized that she needs God's powerful hand with her regardless of what is going to happened.

We need to depend on God's hand to guide us and direct our life or we going to:

Invite temptations: jealousy, gossiping, discontent, and fantasizing

Damage the work of God in us and disrupt our relationship with him

Godly character will be missing (humility, grace, forgiveness, patience, and love...)

Create doubts and fear in our thoughts

Women Pray and Ask God To

Help you to pray
Grant you his Holy Spirit
Strength your faith
Allow you spiritual growth
Provide time and place to spend time with him
Pour out his blessing on you and others
Grant you to be the godly women you ought to be

For we have a tremendous work to do, for God created us and placed us where we are for a reason. We are to enrich our life, our husband, our children, and others and bring them to God. We also need to recognize that without God's hand in our life and His power in us we are powerless to help anyone.

Written by
Nagwa Abdou