Wow, just wow. Sheila Walsh’s new book is one of the most powerful and impacting non-fiction books I’ve read in a long time, and is about a subject that all Christian women can relate to: prayer. “Praying Women: How to Pray When You Don’t Know What to Say” shares insightful reflection about the power of prayer, and how it truly is one of the most life-changing things we can do. At the same time, Sheila acknowledges (with deep understanding and compassion) the struggles and difficulties that also come with growing as a praying woman.

Not only does Sheila share gentle yet hope-filled wisdom, but she also reveals that she truly understands because she has been there. . . She has struggled to pray when it seemed that God was absent or ignoring her. She has prayed through the deepest heartaches and times of fear and pain. She has prayed when all she wanted to do was give up. And as a result, she has experienced the beauty and fulfillment that only a deep and lasting relationship with Jesus can bring. She hasn’t done anything perfectly, she readily admits, but that isn’t the point at all. The point is relationship. As Sheila explains,

“When we don’t know what to say, we have His name, Jesus. We enter our Father’s presence, believing that He is listening and waiting for us… (we) press into His presence, knowing that Jesus, our High Priest, has been there and understands… we trust Him even though we don’t always understand His ways… We pray for a breakthrough, and we thank our Father that because of Jesus the battle is already won.”

I absolutely adore this powerful, deep-reaching book because it is written with warmth and understanding, and not a hint of condescension. I yearn to grow in my prayer life and often feel like I have so far to go. But Sheila meets her readers right where they are, gently grabs their hands, and invites them to approach the throne of Jesus – where we are guaranteed to not only be accepted but also welcomed and loved unconditionally. We may never fully understand the power and purposes of prayer this side of Heaven, but with this beautiful guidebook to help us along the way, I believe that our prayer lives will be exponentially enriched as we journey through life with Jesus at our side.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.