Beth Moore has written many best–selling books and is a dynamic teacher and a prolific Bible–study author whose public speaking engagements take her across the United States to challenge tens of thousands. Beth is focused on teaching women all over the world and is known and respected wherever she goes. She is a dedicated wife and mother of two adult daughters and lives in Houston, Texas, where she leads Living Proof Ministries and teaches an adult Sunday school class. Beth is one of the best known women in the evangelical Christian market.
Maybe it’s my ego, but I considered myself a prayer veteran. I mean, I’ve studied Kay Arthur’s, Lord Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days. I’ve read many of Stormie O’Martian’s books, I even own Beth Moore’s, Praying God’s Word, flash cards. I’ve been a Christian since I was seven and I’ve led Bible studies on prayer. I have over a dozen journals filled with notes from my morning conversations with God.
So, when I was asked to review Beth Moore’s new book, Whispers of Hope, I admit I wondered how it could possibly be different. Prayer isn’t exactly an evolving science and God didn’t suddenly change the rules. What is there left to learn?
I opened, Whispers of Hope, the moment it arrived on my doorstep, and read the introduction and Day One. Immediately, I knew that this book was less about teaching me to pray, and more about cultivating a habit of deep prayer. If a habit is formed in 21 days, Beth triples her bets with this book, offering the reader a full 70 days of gentle reminders, guidance and incentive to talk to God.
The first thing I appreciated about, Whispers of Hope, is the brief introduction. No ten page didactic on, “How to use this book”. Just a simple, one page spread explaining the journal headings and reminding the reader of the command and reward of consistent prayer.
Beth uses an acronym of the word PRAISE to designate six essential elements of prayer. How humbling to discover that in my frequent “popcorn” prayers, I often forget important aspects of communicating with the High King!
Each of the seventy days begins in with a Scripture reading and a one page devotional by Beth. Following, are two pages with three categories each for jotting down prayer notes.
Two aspects of my own prayer life, Acknowledgement and Intercession, were particularly strengthened by this book.
Acknowledgement: This is an aspect of prayer I often forget, assuming I cover my bases with praise and thanksgiving. Of course, I know God is in charge, but most days I still find myself questioning each interruption, flustered by changes in plans, or cross because a certain item on my to-do list takes longer than expected.
In this category, Beth reminds us to recognize God’s sovereign authority over the minuscule moments of our lives. This is the ground floor of humility; at the same time, it’s the epitome of freedom.
Taking Beth’s frequent admonition to use Scripture in my prayer, I found Psalm 15 to be an excellent guide for acknowledging God’s rule and goodness in my life.
Intercession: I am ashamed to admit that this is a topic I have brushed over lightly in the past. Sometimes, my intercessory prayers seem redundant, so I default to casual, passing thoughts, “Haven’t I been praying this thing for that person forever? God, you know.”
Beth points out a relieving truth about intercessory prayer that I have never considered before. Using Jesus’s mother, Mary, in John 2:3, Beth says that we don’t need to offer God a solution to the problem. We do not need to ask God to do something specific in an individual’s life or a certain circumstance. Instead, as Mary did, we can simply state the need. My part in intercession is to show a oneness with His heart, a sensitivity to the Spirit and compassion for the person in need. God is capable of solving the problem in His own time and manner. In fact, He already knows the issue.
As it turns out, there is much I can still learn about prayer. No, it isn’t an evolving science, but it is an ongoing conversation. As I child grows up and learns to participate respectfully in adult conversation, so I believe, as we grow in faith and intimacy with God, the tone, attitude and expression of our prayers will change.
Whispers of Hope, is an excellent, unique resource both for learning to pray and for maturing in our relationship with God.
Excellent! I give and recommend this book to everyone I can! This is the best book I've read by Beth Moore. It contains much "food for the journey" as a friend would say. I've read maybe a dozen devotional books, and this is my favorite. I highly recommend it to any disciple of Christ - men too, even though the audience for Moore's books is usually female. These devotionals are great for any believer!
Quotes: I’m certain of two things: prayerless lives are powerless lives, and prayerful lives are powerful lives.
When we’re involved in willful sin, Satan only has to cheer us on; but when we “fall,” he sows shame and “gloats” over us. He makes us feel foolish because we thought we were making progress.
You see, to a man who had lived a righteous life, the word [sinner] never applied to him—always to someone else. The Pharisee could not comprehend the sinful woman’s actions because he could not comprehend the depth of her love. He had everything to offer Christ that evening: a spotless record, knowledge, stimulating conversation—but he had no love. She had nothing to offer Christ that evening but a terrible record. She was almost assuredly illiterate, and she couldn’t talk for crying. But she had love... The woman’s deep love did not flow from deep sin. It flowed from deep forgiveness.
God’s mercy does not make sin tolerable; it makes sin forgivable.
The next time you are tempted to repeat something you’ve heard to an eager listener, share a blessing from God instead.
God never meant for us to live frenzied lives. Backbreaking schedules are not His idea.
In his own strength Daniel knew he was too handicapped to walk the path before him. Through prayer he cast his weight on God and took one step at a time.
Victory is ours when we walk with God daily in habitual prayer, when we know His Word well enough to trust His sovereignty, and when we cast ourselves on Him and make an honest plea for help.
If our heart’s desire is the will of God, we will wait for His timing even when the pause is long and uncomfortable. We gain nothing by running ahead of God. We remember times we’ve tried only to be displeased with the results. If we desire to do our own will, we will tend, like Christ’s brothers, to think any time is right! Plunge ahead! Why wait on God?
God’s Word offers great encouragement for us today. Each time Scripture gives a glimpse of the throne in heaven, it remains occupied. Take heart! You will never awaken to an upsetting morning headline like: “Vacancy Declared at God’s Throne.” You will never have to wonder if God is still occupying His throne. He never leaves His place. He never abdicates His authority or resigns His role as Sovereign Ruler over heaven and earth. Not only is He always on the throne; things and events are viewed in the proper perspective only when seen in relationship to the One on His throne.
This is a 10 week devotional prayer and I have read through it twice because I loved it so much. Each day is about a page and should take no more than 5 min to quickly read. After each day there is a section to journal your prayers. It is broken into 6 sections: Praise, Repentance, Acknowledgment, Intercession, Supplication for Self, and Equipping. I really appreciated this because it not only allowed me to organize my thoughts and prayers, but it also helped me to identify how to properly pray. You begin by praising God for who he is, repenting of your sins, acknowledging Gods truth, praying for others and then praying for yourself.
Each daily devotional is rooted deep in scripture, it is not something watered down or a quick thought for the day. Rather it helps you to dive deeper into the bible and study Gods word.
Never has a devotional help me so much to organize my prayer life. You may think WRITING your prayers in a specific format (Moore's P.R.A.I.S.E acronym) every day, would be rigid and eventually boring, but I loved using the acronym. Pre Whispers of Hope, I only repented when I felt particularly guilty about sin. Reflecting daily on my need for forgiveness made me feel more dependent on my Savior, and heightened my willingness to acknowledge God’s sovereignty.
Writing, well typing, gave me more peace and pause in my prayer. I highly recommend the study. While I will miss the insightful Whispers of Hope meditations, I will continue to use the P.R.A.I.S.E method and encourage you to try it out as well.
Learning to grow and develop spiritual muscles is a central focus fr me as a Christian. Prayer can often become a rote exercise in the Christian faith. It can be stale, boring and quite tedious if we allow this to happen. Beth takes a fresh look at the theme of prayer and points the prayer inward to glean from the Scriptures what the Hey Spirit will have each individual to grasp as he/she reads the Scriptures with the inights provided by Beth. As a preacher she helped e to further develop the habit of seeing detail in the Scriptures that are often overlooked because of the busy schedules we keep and not spending the quality time we need each day in the Scriptures. i've learned the way to develoup a continuous prayer life is to "just do it(pray). Praying in faith and expecting God to answer.
My husband and I read this devotional together and I highly recommend it. We ddn’t do a prayer journal like it suggest in the beginning. In fact I’ll confess I didn’t even read that part this after we finished and I read another review. I think I’d like to to use it as a personal devotional and do the prayer journal myself. It is a devotional with some depth to it, which we really liked without being dry as toast as some we’ve tried. There was a really good balance of grace and truth. It also asked questions which got us talking some. It seems like it’s hard to find devotionals that we both like that have more than a verse or two of Scripture to read. This one fit the bill.
I bought this book to help me become more disciplined in my prayer life, and it helped! I appreciated the journal pages after each daily reflection and the PRAISE acronym to help me focus my intentions. (PRAISE = Praise Repentance Acknowledgement Intercession Supplication Equipping)
Random aside: Let's not talk about how it took me a year and a half to finish a 10-week devotional, cough cough.
This is a really solid and thought provoking devotional. Love the frayed pages, praise format for prayer and the embedded journal pages. Beth does a great job at adding insightful, meaningful and practical awareness to scripture. I was sad to finish this devotional as it was a great way to kick off my morning prayer.
A great way to get back on track with your spiritual growth. Beth Moore is just one of us—a fellow believer trying to draw nearer to the Lord. She doesn’t exude a “better than the rest of us” kind of attitude but includes herself on the same level. All just growing in God’s word together—five stars!
I absolutely loved this devotional book and prayer guide. It communicates God’s Word in a wonderfully applicable way. It also guides the reader with a method of prayer that follows Biblical guidance. I will keep this one in my collection to use again!
At times in my Christian walk I know that the most powerful weapon we have at our disposal is our prayers. Yet far too often we utilize them in a final attempt to a situation we realize is out of our control. But I believe what is missing is why we pray. It isn't just geared for a "wish list" for God's blessings in our life, or as a last minute call to action for our Heavenly Father to intervene in our situations we find ourselves struggling with. Prayer is first and foremost our method of communication with our Father in Heaven. It's more than just asking for Him to help us, it's about praising Him for what He is and what He is doing and what He has done for us. It's about letting go of thinking anything we do in this life we have control over and instead gracefully bowing out and rendering complete control willingly to Him.
In Beth Moore's latest book, Whispers of Hope, a 10 week devotional geared to work on our prayer lives over the next 70 days. She encourages readers to journal their prayers using a PRAISE acronym to remind us what it's all about instead of simply asking for help. Each day of this journey encourages the reader in a devotional to complete a brief Bible reading assignment, a Scripture for the day, and thoughts for the day. A Daily Prayer Guide follows each devotional to record your petitions using the P.R.A.I.S.E. approach to prayer. There is also a place in the book for you to record the answers to your prayers in the Answer Log.
Beth even addresses how to utilize Whispers of Hope in a group setting for Bible or Women's studies. She gives tips on different ways to make the best of the information you discover as you take your journey to enriching your personal prayer lives. No greater priority exists for the believer than knowing Christ through the study of His Word and the intimacy of prayer. Each day's format should allow most people to complete their daily devotions in about 30-40 minutes. This book is offered to help you form a habit of prayer and she hopes that in using this time, you will discover a fresh supply of mercy every morning, but more than that, may you discover the Mercy Giver.
I received Whispers of Hope by Beth Moore compliments of B and H Publishing Group and Icon Media Group for my honest review. I have not received any monetary compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. I know for me personally I am loving having a guide to help me set aside some time each day and read about God through the Bible and utilize this time as a personal discovery into understanding more about God. I only hope that each day in using it I will grow stronger in my prayer life, much like anyone who practices their skill in anything only improves the more time they spend doing it. I easily give this prayer devotional a perfect 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. This is perfect for an individual, women's or group Bible Study.
I'm typically pretty untrusting of big name authors in the Christian world. Too often, money talks, and makes it too easy for these authors to ignore certain things the Bible teaches.
Admittedly, I didn't know much at all about Beth's ministry. I tried to do some research on her, and as you would expect, we don't have the same theology with everything. I saw a couple of people mention that she leans towards mysticism. I didn't get that from this book! It is the one and only book of hers I've read, though. I did start her David study, but never finished it(time issue there). So, I reserve the right to take my positive opinions of her away if I discover anything I feel is "out there" in her other books.
My opinion of this book is very positive, though! It ended up being very different than I thought. Based on the title, I thought it was going to be a study on prayer. Prayer is something in my life that I want to improve, so I jumped at the chance to read this book. It's actually 70 devotionals pertaining to different subjects that apply to our Christian life. For review purposes, I read straight through. I don't recommend that! The lessons come across disjointed at that point. They are made to be studied one per day. I'm not the best at the "one-a-day" kind of studies, but this can make an excellent study when read this way!
Each devotional consists of 3 pages. The first page is the devotional itself. The second and third pages are journaling pages to write and practice prayer. These pages are divided into sections.
Praise Repentance Acknowledgement Intercession Supplication for Self Equipping (Thanksgiving is included in each of those sections, too.)
Beth takes a few pages at the beginning of the book to explain this prayer method. The rest of the book is putting it to practice, and learning ways to improve our Christian walk.
Physically, this is a *beautiful* book! If you have a Beth Moore fan on your Christmas list, this is a gorgeous pick! The pages have the "torn" look around the edges. This is a feature of a book that always makes me feel the book is even more special. ;)
So far, I really like Beth Moore's style! I'm now looking forward to digging into some of her other books. As far as this one, I definitely recommend it!
*A huge "Thank You" to Caylen at Icon Media Group and B&H Publishing for sending me a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
Source: Free copy from Icon Media Group and B and H Books for the purpose of review. Summary: In Whispers of Hope, Beth Moore encourages and teaches us to develop the "habit of prayer." Often, prayer is only used in an emergency, SOS God...need help...now preferably! Why do we think to pray when only in an emergency? Is it because we're busy? Praying feels awkward? We feel more like we're talking to ourselves? We don't now how to begin? In short chapters with one page to read, then six questions to prompt our brain and heart to respond on a deeper level, Beth Moore teaches us to have a daily intimate prayer life with God. A total of ten weeks or seventy days of devotional reading, prayer and praise, is covered. Beth reminds us: "Remember, 'Amen' doesn't mean 'the end'; it means 'So be it!'" Most Scripture references are from the New International Version, a few from King James Version.
Thoughts: Beth Moore is one of the most dynamic, enthusiastic, Bible teachers I've read and heard. Her energetic personality is evident in her writing. I'm thankful her mission and direction in life is God-led, driven and focused. Development in prayer can be difficult, but our goal is that it become apart of the inner network of our life. I remember a time when as a young woman the only time I prayed was in an emergency. Next came the years when I prayed before I fell asleep at night (often falling asleep while praying). Then a painful event happened about the time I turned thirty, it was during this bleak period that praying became a modem for survival. Looking back I see God was working in this painful event to bring about growth in my relationship with Him. Through prayer and Bible reading and Bible study, spiritual fruit developed in my life. No longer was I a "babe in Christ."
"Like newborn babies, crave spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." 1 Peter 2:2-3 NIV.
My prayer for you dear reader is that you will develop an intimate, abiding, joyful, prayer life with the Lord.
Whispers of Hope is an easy and approachable devotional. A Bible verse to look up and read, and a devotional reading that includes an application for daily life. The journal part of each days devotion is the acrostic letters P-R-A-I-S-E, and is defined as Praise, Repentance, Acknowledgment, Intercession, Supplication for Self, Equipping.
“In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” Romans 8:26
I’m so glad I said ‘yes’ to reviewing Beth Moore’s Whispers of Hope: 10 Weeks of Devotional Prayer. Working through this book—which is part devotional and part prayer journal—has strengthened and changed me.
Truly, God is using Beth’s words to whisper hope to my heat. Here’s a passage I found especially touching . . .
“Imagine this poignant scene. The child of God musters her last bit of strength to collapse before the throne of God. Words do not come—just groanings.
They are not her groanings, though they emerge from so deep within, she thinks they are hers.
The Spirit of God searches her heart, gathers her pain, and lifts it to the Father of all comfort. The Spirit of God, knowing both the depth of her agony and the will of the Father, can bring forth glory from even this. He insists that the Father issue overflowing comfort. He urges the child to let the Father have His way.
He prays for things that she could not bear to pray.
That she lacks the courage to pray.
He prays for glory.
How long does the child lay before God’s throne?
Until strength comes.
Until she identifies the heart of the Spirit’s intercession for her and can make it her own. Perhaps this is one of life’s finest hours for the believer—when the will of the Father and the will of the child converge as one—and the cloudy pillar of God’s glory settles on her shoulders like a down comforter.
And for just a moment, heaven comes to earth.”
Gift Alert:This book is pretty enough to give as a gift. The deckle edge pages give the impression of age, and the cover gives the illusion of being hand stamped. The cover flaps are just as charming & make useful bookmarks—as you can see in my photo.
Pop a copy of Whispers of Hope into a gift basket or Christmas stocking & bless someone special to you!
I'm a fan of Beth Moore's work. What I appreciate the most about it is that she addresses areas that we all need to work on and continually points us to what the Word says. In Whispers of Hope she addresses the topic of prayer.
If you are like me you tend to do well in your prayer life by fits and starts. Some days I find myself in a continual state of prayer. Other days it is more like a lick and a prayer! My desire would be to become more consistent about my prayer life.
Whispers of Hope lays out a very doable format for going deeper with your prayer life. Each day begins with a Scripture reading followed by a short devotional thought from Beth. Then you are encouraged to spend time in prayer using the P.R.A.I.S.E. format.
Praise - Begin your morning prayer time with praise.
Repentance - After you've spent several minutes in praise and worship, enter a time of confession and repentance.
Acknowledgment - Having praised Him and been purified by Him, you are ready to submit to God's authority. Acknowledge His right to rule and reign in your life every day.
Intercession - Pray for others!
Supplication for self - Now enter into a time of prayer for yourself.
Equipping - Supplications for self helps us KNOW God; this step assists us as we grow in our capacity to SERVE God. Conclude your prayer time by asking Him to equip you in every way for a victorious day.
The book has two pages for each day that is dedicated to an area for you to journal your prayers. In the very back of the book is a section for recording answers to prayers.
This study is designed to be done as an individual or as part of a group. A Group Study Plan is included in the back of the book.
If you are looking to take your prayer life to the next level I would encourage you to get a copy of this book and spend the next ten weeks sinking deep into the type of prayer life that we would all benefit from.
I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review.