Discover an Eye-Opening Way to Pray…
Friends! I pray today finds you well and ready to try something new for your prayer life…
Today we’ll talk about a new devotional (one can never have too many) by author Jodie Berndt. I had already read one she wrote regarding praying Scriptures for your adult children. (See its’ book cover at the end of this post.)
Here’s the book we’ll be discussing today:
https://jodieberndt.com/
Note the subtitle and how it beckons us readers to abide in the presence, provision and power of God. Who doesn’t need that?. Part 1 of the book explains the concept of abiding, it answers why we should pray the Scriptures, and tells us how to use the book.
Part 2 includes thirty-one days of prayer covering every subject you could possibly need. Each day is short and offers three parts: Read, Reflect, and Respond. My favorite of the three parts is “Respond” because Jodie takes Scripture straight from the Bible and turns it into prayers for whatever that day’s topic is.
Jodie’s writing is sweet, sincere, and downright funny at times. Her honesty is bold and relatable. Each day’s entry I read I felt like I was sitting across the kitchen table, sipping on coffee with Jodie. You will be so blessed!
I’ve now gotten thru’ all thirty-one days and have started all over again! I’ve enjoyed starting my day with a days’ entry (sometimes more than one) because the prayers are always pertinent and give us readers a boost of encouragement to begin our day. If I had to choose my top five favorite days’ entries, they would be:
Day 11 - Asking for Help
Day 14 - Finding Freedom from Worry and Fear
Day 17 - Praying to Love God’s Word
Day 19 - Resting in God
Day 25 - Being Joy-Full
Day 27 - Aging Well
Well, okay, that’s SIX…For those of you who know me, you know “minimalist” would never describe yours truly, but you can see just from these six days’ topics, the wide variety you’ll glean from thirty-one days.
I gifted my Wednesday Bible study buddies, as well as other friends, with a copy of this devotional and they are raving about it, gobbling it up. They are seasoned disciples, trust me, so if they’re devouring it, you will too!
I’ve asked a few of my friends to share their favorite quotes and tell us why they like this book so much:
My friend Betsy says, “I knew I was hooked on this book as soon as I read the Intro’!
From page XII:
Betsy adds, “This became more clear to me when I read Day 17 - Praying to Love God’s Word”
From page 139 - “Let’s open our Bible, not with an eye toward discoveries, stuff for ourselves…but with an eye toward knowing and loving the Lord…
What does He think?
What does He cherish?
What does He want to do in our hearts?
This sort of knowledge is what will kindle our love for the Bible. It will animate and energize our prayer life. And it will cause us to fall deeper in love with God, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”
Betsy concludes, “I long to truly LOVE God’s Word and fall more and more deeply in love with my Savior! Jodie has inspired me to be more disciplined to read and memorize God’s Word until it is so deeply embedded in my heart that my prayers reflect His heart! This book is so encouraging—I will read and re-read it as a daily devotion.”
My spiritual Mom, Lynn, shared with me some of her favorite points Jodie makes:
Lynn says, “On page 106, Jodie makes an incredible statement: “It can be tempting to hide our grief or our scars for many reasons, but here’s the truth: the people in our sphere of influence will go thru’ their own seasons of pain. Our broken places are not the sidebars to our story; They are our story. They are the marks that authenticate God’s redemptive power—His resurrection power—in our lives.”
Lynn added, “This was a powerful statement for me because it changes how we look at our pain and suffering. God never makes mistakes. People identify with us in our weaknesses and pain, not in our strengths. We see this in the 15th chapter of John, God uses them to prune us. The results are that we bear much fruit.”
“Jodie reminds us through her book that our purpose is to bear much fruit. She reminds us, ‘we can trust the vine dresser with the tendrils of our hearts—knowing there is a purpose in His pruning—we can anticipate a harvest.’”
Then my friend, Olivia, wrote me sharing some of her thoughts:
“I have read many books on prayer but I must say this one has been the most impactful one I’ve ever read. Intellectually, I understand the importance and power of prayer, but my struggle has been because I’m incredibly action-oriented. Jodie perfectly captures my dilemma in her introduction: ‘We want to be people of impact. We like being productive. We are created, God says, to do good works—works He prepared in advance. We want to get to it!’ In light of this, John 15 seems so passive, telling us eleven times in only ten verses to remain or abide in Him. It seems to be written for people who are content and have time to be still.”
Jodie highlights two books about the importance of what seems to be so passive. Andrew Murray’s Abide in Christ says,
“R.A. Torrey in his book, How to Pray, ‘points out that our connection to Christ is what facilitates a powerful prayer life. Christ’s invitation to abide transforms how we pray.’”
Olivia closes with, “So why pray the Scriptures? Jodie makes the compelling argument that ‘the more we dig into Scripture, letting the words we read penetrate our thoughts and shape our perspectives, the more our longings will start to reflect what God already wants to do. And the more we will position ourselves to be people of impact.’ Now, finally, Jodi has helped me understand that abiding and praying are essential to guide our actions for true impact.”
Let me show you an example of the prayers from each of my favorite days. (I’m giving you the words of the verse first, followed by a lovely picture with the Scripture in it, thanks to my techie friend/guru, Kelly, so you can re-read the verse, soaking it in…):
Day 11 - “Thank you for your promise that I can approach your throne of grace with confidence, so that I may receive mercy and find grace to help me in my time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
Day 14 - “Fill me with all joy and peace as I trust in you, so that I overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Day 17 - “When I need strength or courage, let me look to the Bible, since everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we may have hope.” (Romans 15:4)
Day 19 - “When I find myself striving or anxious, remind me of your promise: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)
Day 25 - “Help me wait in hope for you; by my help and my shield. Equip me to trust you so that my heart will rejoice.” (Psalm 33:20-21) Day 25 also has a mind-blowing concept: the difference between being a thermometer or a thermostat! Don’t miss this…
Day 27 - “May I flourish as I mature. May I bear fruit, even in old age, and always stay fresh and green.” (Psalm 92:14)
Keep in mind these verses are one of many in each chapter. It’s hard to choose only one! These prayers will put a kick in your step, and a glowing smile on your face, helping you shine the light of Christ on all whose paths you cross, each and every day. DO try this at home!!!
I pray these tidbits I’ve shared will cause you to dash to your nearest bookstore and snag a copy of this book for yourself and your friends!
‘Til next time!
P.S. Here’s a pic of the other book by Jodie I talked about earlier:
P.P.S. Thanks to my friend, Betsy, I discovered another gripping read (I’m only four chapters in so far) called Don’t Miss Out: Daring to Believe Life is Better With the Holy Spirit by Jeannie Cunnion. Guess who one of her endorsers is? Yes, Jodie Berndt the author of the books we talked about today. How fun is that? Stay tuned for a review of Don’t Miss Out…
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are “affiliate links.”