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When You Pray - Bible Study for Women with Video Access: A Study of Six Prayers in the Bible
Do you have trouble thinking of words to say to God when you pray? Are you afraid some emotions are too intense to express to God? Do you reach the end of a day only to realize you haven’t prayed at all? You’re not alone. Prayer is the way we relate to God, but sometimes it’s a struggle. Throughout God’s Word, we encounter many voices who teach us how to pray.
In this 7-session study, join with six beloved Bible teachers who will help you study prayers in the Bible that can inspire your own. You’ll learn that God welcomes your praise and lament, your thanksgiving and intercession. You’ll see examples of how to pray when you’re alone and when you’re gathered with others. Above all, you’ll notice there’s no one right way to pray. As you draw near to God through prayer, you’ll find your faith strengthened and your heart united to Christ.
Video
In this 7-session study, join with six beloved Bible teachers who will help you study prayers in the Bible that can inspire your own. You’ll learn that God welcomes your praise and lament, your thanksgiving and intercession. You’ll see examples of how to pray when you’re alone and when you’re gathered with others. Above all, you’ll notice there’s no one right way to pray. As you draw near to God through prayer, you’ll find your faith strengthened and your heart united to Christ.
Video
208 pages, Paperback
Published April 3, 2023
148 people are currently reading
829 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Minter
57 books432 followersKelly lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and serves the Lord passionately both across the U.S. and internationally in a variety of creative roles. An acclaimed author, musician, Bible study creator and teacher, she is passionate to see women impacted by Jesus and His Word.
Growing up outside of Washington, DC, Kelly was raised in a Christian home, the oldest of four children and daughter of a pastor. Her childhood was seasoned with competitive sports, learning the guitar, singing, and a litany of church activities in the congregation her father founded and still pastors. Like many young women, Kelly dealt with inner struggles – anxiety and depression were a part of her growing-up years. “Those struggles are what drove me to Scripture,” Kelly says, “and the catalyst for me to learn for myself who God is.” Throughout her high school career, Kelly played basketball competitively, expecting that to be her path into college. But after a scholarship fell through, she began playing music. And God began a new thing.
Kelly moved to Nashville in the summer of 2000 and released her first record with WORD, followed by a subsequent release on a different label, leading to her first #1 Single on the Inspirational Charts, This Is My Offering. Shortly after this success and several cross-country tours her record company folded leaving Kelly to rethink her vocation and ministry. In the middle of an ever-changing music industry and on a tour through Colorado, Kelly met a book publisher who would two years later sign her to her first book deal.
Kelly’s first book eventually led to LifeWay approaching her about writing a bible study. Authoring curriculum was a new challenge, but one she quickly fell in love with. Kelly’s first three studies include, No Other Gods: Confronting Our Modern Day Idols, followed by Ruth: Loss, Love & Legacy and Nehemiah: A Heart That Can Break. Respected Bible Study teacher and speaker, Beth Moore, chose each of Kelly’s resources for three of her widely-reaching online summer studies. Thousands of women participated and were challenged by Kelly’s writing and her unique perspective on Scripture.
Kelly now writes, teaches, and sings across the United States and also in other countries. Speaking at multiple conferences and events, as well as four Women of Faith events in 2012, Kelly has become a steady and respected teaching voice to women, particularly when it comes to the Scriptures. She also partners closely with Justice and Mercy International (JMI), a ministry that serves in the Amazon jungle; she especially loves working with the jungle pastors who encourage her through their remarkable faith.
When home, Kelly’s days are spent writing, cooking, gardening, enjoying her neighborhood, loving her community, investing in her local church, and walking forward in the things God has for her. She is relevant, palatable, and uncompromising in her teachings from the Bible, and women relate to this.
Growing up outside of Washington, DC, Kelly was raised in a Christian home, the oldest of four children and daughter of a pastor. Her childhood was seasoned with competitive sports, learning the guitar, singing, and a litany of church activities in the congregation her father founded and still pastors. Like many young women, Kelly dealt with inner struggles – anxiety and depression were a part of her growing-up years. “Those struggles are what drove me to Scripture,” Kelly says, “and the catalyst for me to learn for myself who God is.” Throughout her high school career, Kelly played basketball competitively, expecting that to be her path into college. But after a scholarship fell through, she began playing music. And God began a new thing.
Kelly moved to Nashville in the summer of 2000 and released her first record with WORD, followed by a subsequent release on a different label, leading to her first #1 Single on the Inspirational Charts, This Is My Offering. Shortly after this success and several cross-country tours her record company folded leaving Kelly to rethink her vocation and ministry. In the middle of an ever-changing music industry and on a tour through Colorado, Kelly met a book publisher who would two years later sign her to her first book deal.
Kelly’s first book eventually led to LifeWay approaching her about writing a bible study. Authoring curriculum was a new challenge, but one she quickly fell in love with. Kelly’s first three studies include, No Other Gods: Confronting Our Modern Day Idols, followed by Ruth: Loss, Love & Legacy and Nehemiah: A Heart That Can Break. Respected Bible Study teacher and speaker, Beth Moore, chose each of Kelly’s resources for three of her widely-reaching online summer studies. Thousands of women participated and were challenged by Kelly’s writing and her unique perspective on Scripture.
Kelly now writes, teaches, and sings across the United States and also in other countries. Speaking at multiple conferences and events, as well as four Women of Faith events in 2012, Kelly has become a steady and respected teaching voice to women, particularly when it comes to the Scriptures. She also partners closely with Justice and Mercy International (JMI), a ministry that serves in the Amazon jungle; she especially loves working with the jungle pastors who encourage her through their remarkable faith.
When home, Kelly’s days are spent writing, cooking, gardening, enjoying her neighborhood, loving her community, investing in her local church, and walking forward in the things God has for her. She is relevant, palatable, and uncompromising in her teachings from the Bible, and women relate to this.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
July 16, 2023
This is a deep, rich Bible study. The six writers have different teaching styles, some that I liked better than others. But all of them had something important to share. The study covers The Lord's Prayer; prayers of Petition and Thanksgiving; prayers of Adoration; prayers of Lament; prayers of Intercession; and prayers for Unity. I love that Lifeway makes the teaching videos easily available to everyone who buys this study book (and many more of their other studies). It has definitely enriched my life with what I am learning and who I am hearing from in my study time.
Robin’s Ratings
5🌟 = Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite.
4🌟 = Enjoyed/loved it. Will recommend to others.
3🌟 = Liked it. Glad I read it. Engaging/entertaining/interesting.
2🌟 = The book was okay, but I’ve enjoyed other books so much more.
1🌟 = For whatever reason, I didn’t like it and can’t recommend it.
Robin’s Ratings
5🌟 = Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite.
4🌟 = Enjoyed/loved it. Will recommend to others.
3🌟 = Liked it. Glad I read it. Engaging/entertaining/interesting.
2🌟 = The book was okay, but I’ve enjoyed other books so much more.
1🌟 = For whatever reason, I didn’t like it and can’t recommend it.
July 9, 2024
This devotional guide allowed me to think about prayer in a completely new way. I found myself not only realizing this truth but discovering more and more about who God is. It has changed my prayer life completely.
November 19, 2024
“Life often hurts, and we need to know how to pray when it does.”
“Prayer isn’t about saying what we think the Lord wants to hear from us. Prayer is an honest, intimate, and intentional reaching for the Lord in truth, in reality, in the actuality of our lives as they are.”
This is a video-based, seven-session Bible Study about prayer.
I completed this study with other women from my church and I thought it was a great study.
I loved that there were 6 different teachers, each taking a different prayer in the Bible and showing us how/when to pray like it.
Kelly Minter takes us through the Lord’s Prayer and shows us the elements of the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray. She also emphasizes how believing the goodness of God informs our prayers.
Jackie Hill Perry looks at prayers of petition and thanksgiving by looking at Hannah’s prayer. She reminds us that we can’t define God by our circumstances and that prayer is about going to Person who can give us anything we need, including joy if our circumstances bring sorrow.
Jen Wilkin takes us through prayers of adoration. The prayer she focused on was Psalm 139 and helped me see that well-known psalm in a new way. She pulls out the attributes of God that are on display and how easy it is to praise God for all the things he is. So much of our prayers depend on who God is, so we should know about him and trust his authority in our life.
Jennifer Rothschild walks us through prayers of lament. Looking at a variety of passages, including Psalm 13, she helps us identify the pattern of lament, how to recognize if we’re just complaining, and to remember that prayers of lament should lead us to the character of God and “gives us an opportunity to agree with God’s will.”
Jada Edwards teaches us prayers of intercession. Her week focuses on Ephesians 3 and encourages us to pray for those we find difficult to love because it changes our hearts. She also emphasizes maintaining our connection to our Source and staying rooted in Christ. Intercessory prayer is a way to stand in the gap for others and to partner with Christ and build unity with others.
Kristi McLelland’s prayers focused us on oneness and unity in the body of Christ. She covered John 13-17— the Upper Room discourse— and Jesus’s last prayer before the events of his death and resurrection. Tapping into her knowledge of the cultural context from her time spent in Israel, she helps us see why Jesus would want his last words to the his disciples to remind them to be one in Christ.
As we reflected on what stuck out to us the most with this study, one of my friends said that it was like taking a two-dimensional thing and making it 3D. I liked that analogy because they really did take something as simple as prayer and then showed us all the facets of it.
Prayer is simple yet complex. We don’t always know how to pray or what to pray for. These ladies do a great job of giving examples of how we can pray. It was also so good to just be reminded of the power of prayer.
Jackie Hill Perry when talking about Hannah’s problem of barrenness says how “she used the strongest weapon one has— prayer.” We often feel like prayer is useless or passive. We want to DO something about our problems or our desires, but in reality, prayer is truly an active and meaningful thing because it connects us to the all-powerful and all-wise God who can actually do something with our requests and with our hearts as we present them.
And not only that, but doing this study reminds us that prayer isn’t just about making requests and asking for things, though it’s clear God wants us to do that; it’s also just about connecting with our Creator.
If we make prayer a regular habit, we can’t help but be changed because we are communing with the One who made us. It changes our perspective on who we are and what our lives are about. It helps us see others the way God sees them. It’s about bringing glory and honor to Him who deserves all the praise.
To be honest, I was a little wary of leading this study because I don’t like to pray out loud. But I wanted to be challenged in that area because I believe in the importance of praying and praying with and for others. This study definitely helped me to find the courage to pray out loud.
It also made me think about how to teach my own kids about prayer. What is my prayer habits and prayer life teaching my kids about prayer? It is convicting!
So if you are like me and you don’t like praying out loud, I would encourage you to do this study with others and let God work on your heart and help you praise, lament, intercede, and petition the Lord in a deeper and more habitual way. Let prayer be a connecting point for you and your friends, family, or church community because it does bring a unity that nothing else can.
Study Formatting & Details
Each week there are five days of homework. Because each author/teacher approached their week differently, the homework varies in formatting and the amount of time you spend on it. Some weeks have a lot of cross-referencing or marking up the passage. Other weeks are more reflective and text-heavy with thoughtful questions.
As a group, we really appreciated the video teaching sessions that went along with the study. They usually covered everything we had been doing in our homework so those who were unable to finish the homework were still able to glean the information and participate in the discussion.
The book has a website link and code in the back so anyone with the book can access the videos. That was also nice because those who missed a week could still watch on their own. It also makes this study something you can do on your own or again with a different group of people.
Recommendation
I would definitely recommend this study. You can do it on your own, but I would recommend getting at least a couple other people to do it with you so you can also be praying for one another whenever you meet together.
These ladies will being a lot of encouragement to your life and your relationship with your Creator.
Some weeks may resonate more with you than others, but that’s why meeting with others will bring some variety and depth in how the Lord is speaking to different women through different verses.
A few other books on prayer that I would recommend:
Prayer by Timothy Keller
The Lord’s Prayer by Kevin DeYoung
The Songs of Jesus by Timothy Keller
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop (this book is all about lamenting)
Book Review Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | StoryGraph
“Prayer isn’t about saying what we think the Lord wants to hear from us. Prayer is an honest, intimate, and intentional reaching for the Lord in truth, in reality, in the actuality of our lives as they are.”
This is a video-based, seven-session Bible Study about prayer.
I completed this study with other women from my church and I thought it was a great study.
I loved that there were 6 different teachers, each taking a different prayer in the Bible and showing us how/when to pray like it.
Kelly Minter takes us through the Lord’s Prayer and shows us the elements of the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray. She also emphasizes how believing the goodness of God informs our prayers.
Jackie Hill Perry looks at prayers of petition and thanksgiving by looking at Hannah’s prayer. She reminds us that we can’t define God by our circumstances and that prayer is about going to Person who can give us anything we need, including joy if our circumstances bring sorrow.
Jen Wilkin takes us through prayers of adoration. The prayer she focused on was Psalm 139 and helped me see that well-known psalm in a new way. She pulls out the attributes of God that are on display and how easy it is to praise God for all the things he is. So much of our prayers depend on who God is, so we should know about him and trust his authority in our life.
Jennifer Rothschild walks us through prayers of lament. Looking at a variety of passages, including Psalm 13, she helps us identify the pattern of lament, how to recognize if we’re just complaining, and to remember that prayers of lament should lead us to the character of God and “gives us an opportunity to agree with God’s will.”
Jada Edwards teaches us prayers of intercession. Her week focuses on Ephesians 3 and encourages us to pray for those we find difficult to love because it changes our hearts. She also emphasizes maintaining our connection to our Source and staying rooted in Christ. Intercessory prayer is a way to stand in the gap for others and to partner with Christ and build unity with others.
Kristi McLelland’s prayers focused us on oneness and unity in the body of Christ. She covered John 13-17— the Upper Room discourse— and Jesus’s last prayer before the events of his death and resurrection. Tapping into her knowledge of the cultural context from her time spent in Israel, she helps us see why Jesus would want his last words to the his disciples to remind them to be one in Christ.
As we reflected on what stuck out to us the most with this study, one of my friends said that it was like taking a two-dimensional thing and making it 3D. I liked that analogy because they really did take something as simple as prayer and then showed us all the facets of it.
Prayer is simple yet complex. We don’t always know how to pray or what to pray for. These ladies do a great job of giving examples of how we can pray. It was also so good to just be reminded of the power of prayer.
Jackie Hill Perry when talking about Hannah’s problem of barrenness says how “she used the strongest weapon one has— prayer.” We often feel like prayer is useless or passive. We want to DO something about our problems or our desires, but in reality, prayer is truly an active and meaningful thing because it connects us to the all-powerful and all-wise God who can actually do something with our requests and with our hearts as we present them.
And not only that, but doing this study reminds us that prayer isn’t just about making requests and asking for things, though it’s clear God wants us to do that; it’s also just about connecting with our Creator.
If we make prayer a regular habit, we can’t help but be changed because we are communing with the One who made us. It changes our perspective on who we are and what our lives are about. It helps us see others the way God sees them. It’s about bringing glory and honor to Him who deserves all the praise.
To be honest, I was a little wary of leading this study because I don’t like to pray out loud. But I wanted to be challenged in that area because I believe in the importance of praying and praying with and for others. This study definitely helped me to find the courage to pray out loud.
It also made me think about how to teach my own kids about prayer. What is my prayer habits and prayer life teaching my kids about prayer? It is convicting!
So if you are like me and you don’t like praying out loud, I would encourage you to do this study with others and let God work on your heart and help you praise, lament, intercede, and petition the Lord in a deeper and more habitual way. Let prayer be a connecting point for you and your friends, family, or church community because it does bring a unity that nothing else can.
Study Formatting & Details
Each week there are five days of homework. Because each author/teacher approached their week differently, the homework varies in formatting and the amount of time you spend on it. Some weeks have a lot of cross-referencing or marking up the passage. Other weeks are more reflective and text-heavy with thoughtful questions.
As a group, we really appreciated the video teaching sessions that went along with the study. They usually covered everything we had been doing in our homework so those who were unable to finish the homework were still able to glean the information and participate in the discussion.
The book has a website link and code in the back so anyone with the book can access the videos. That was also nice because those who missed a week could still watch on their own. It also makes this study something you can do on your own or again with a different group of people.
Recommendation
I would definitely recommend this study. You can do it on your own, but I would recommend getting at least a couple other people to do it with you so you can also be praying for one another whenever you meet together.
These ladies will being a lot of encouragement to your life and your relationship with your Creator.
Some weeks may resonate more with you than others, but that’s why meeting with others will bring some variety and depth in how the Lord is speaking to different women through different verses.
A few other books on prayer that I would recommend:
Prayer by Timothy Keller
The Lord’s Prayer by Kevin DeYoung
The Songs of Jesus by Timothy Keller
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop (this book is all about lamenting)
Book Review Blog | Facebook | Pinterest | StoryGraph
May 21, 2025
I really loved doing this with a great group of women of all ages from my church this spring! It was a unique study as it had 6 different women teaching the study each week covering a variety of types of prayer (the Lord’s Prayer, adoration, petition, lament, intercession and Jesus prayer in John 17). I loved all the prayer challenges and learning with other women the power of prayer and seeing all the ways we can grow in our personal and prayers together in community! I’d love to do this again some day!
March 24, 2024
Do you have trouble thinking of words to say to God when you pray? Are you afraid some emotions are too intense to express to God? Prayer is the way we relate to God, but sometimes it’s a struggle.
In this 7-session study, six Bible teachers help you to study prayers in the Bible that can inspire your own. You’ll learn that God welcomes your praise and lament, your thanksgiving and intercession. You’ll see examples of how to pray when you’re alone and when you’re gathered with others. Above all, you’ll notice there’s no one right way to pray.
The six Bible teachers instruct via video six different aspects of prayer. Additionally, the workbook has 5 days of in-depth study for the participants.
The Bible instructors who share via video and the corresponding 5 day study are:
Kelly Minter , Jackie Hill Perry, Jen Wilkins,Jennifer Rothschild, JadaEdwards, and Kristie McLelland.
This is a rather intensive weekly study. The teaching videos don’t cover or coordinate with the workbook, would have found helpful. Also, the 5 day a week personal study skips around the Bible, requiring a lot of references to be read. I didn’t appreciate all the jumping around. I was disappointed that the points studied in the workbook were not addressed in the videos. Since the videos and workbook exercise aren’t aligned, it wasn’t as cohesive as I would have hoped.
In this 7-session study, six Bible teachers help you to study prayers in the Bible that can inspire your own. You’ll learn that God welcomes your praise and lament, your thanksgiving and intercession. You’ll see examples of how to pray when you’re alone and when you’re gathered with others. Above all, you’ll notice there’s no one right way to pray.
The six Bible teachers instruct via video six different aspects of prayer. Additionally, the workbook has 5 days of in-depth study for the participants.
The Bible instructors who share via video and the corresponding 5 day study are:
Kelly Minter , Jackie Hill Perry, Jen Wilkins,Jennifer Rothschild, JadaEdwards, and Kristie McLelland.
This is a rather intensive weekly study. The teaching videos don’t cover or coordinate with the workbook, would have found helpful. Also, the 5 day a week personal study skips around the Bible, requiring a lot of references to be read. I didn’t appreciate all the jumping around. I was disappointed that the points studied in the workbook were not addressed in the videos. Since the videos and workbook exercise aren’t aligned, it wasn’t as cohesive as I would have hoped.
May 24, 2024
I just finished this 7 week in-depth study on prayer with some women from the church. Even though I was overwhelmed and intimidated when the study first started, I didn’t realize how much I’d need this. It was challenging and encouraging all at once. I learned a lot, was shown areas I need to improve on, and was occasionally brought to tears. We studied these six prayers in the Bible: The Lord’s Prayer, prayers of Petition and Thanksgiving, prayers of Adoration, prayers of Lament, prayers of Intercession, and prayers that Unify. “The church is best expressed as a bouquet of unique flowers rather than twelve red roses.” •• “Prayer is communal, not transactional… and God is a very responsive God.” •• “There is a time to speak and a time to be quiet. More often than not, the weary-hearted saint doesn’t need words but presence.” •• “Thanksgiving is confessing what God has done… Adoration is confessing Who God IS.” •• “Jesus demolished class, race, lineage… redemption is the strongest connection: divine unity.” •• “Prayer is actively communicating with the Living God to see heaven come down to earth.” ❤️
June 18, 2024
We did this in our Bible study group. It was great! Our group got a lot out of it, looking at the different types of prayers in the Bible.
Having said that, this required a lot of work to do in a regular study group. (I led.) The videos are full-on 40 minute sermons and in our context it wasn't really appropriate to be spending all that time just watching them. (We also weren't aware that this is mostly targeted at women.)
Furthermore, the study guide is more of a personal reflection thing. There's a separate leader's guide with suggested questions. So in the end, I went through both and picked out the most relevant parts and questions to go through each week with our group.
In summary, it was great content but just required work from me to make it all fit in our time frame.
Having said that, this required a lot of work to do in a regular study group. (I led.) The videos are full-on 40 minute sermons and in our context it wasn't really appropriate to be spending all that time just watching them. (We also weren't aware that this is mostly targeted at women.)
Furthermore, the study guide is more of a personal reflection thing. There's a separate leader's guide with suggested questions. So in the end, I went through both and picked out the most relevant parts and questions to go through each week with our group.
In summary, it was great content but just required work from me to make it all fit in our time frame.
April 25, 2024
My Bible Study did this study over a period of weeks. The study chapters were: The Lord's Prayer; prayers of Petition and Thanksgiving; prayers of Adoration; prayers of Lament; prayers of Intercession; and prayers for Unity and are written by 6 authors: Kelly Minter, Jackie Hill Perry, Jen Wilkin, Jennifer Rothschild, Jada Edwards and Kristi McLelland. Each chapter is by a different author so you can see a difference in each lesson and I liked some chapters more than others. We also watched the video sessions which was a recording from what looks like a woman’s retreat. The videos and study guide were pretty different so you gain information out of both. The sessions were:
Session One: Introduction: What is the purpose of prayer.
Session Two: “Your Kingdom Come” with Kelly Minter uses the Lord’s Prayer on how to pray.
Session Three: “My Heart Rejoices in the Lord” with Jackie Hill Perry-Petition, or presenting our requests to God and she does a verse-by-verse study of Hannah’s prayer.
Session Four: “Your Works Are Wondrous” with Jen Wilkin, she did prayer adoration, or praise and studies David’s prayer in Psalm 139.
Session Five: “How Long, O Lord?” with Jennifer Rothschild was all on lament and Psalm 13
Session Six: “May You Be Filled” with Jada Edwards studies one of Paul’s many prayers as an example of intercession, or praying for the needs of others.
Session Seven: “May They Be One” with Kristi McLelland: prayer of unity and focuses on Jesus and the Last Supper.
Overall I liked this study and would recommend it anyone wanting to study more on prayer or having trouble finding the words to pray.
Session One: Introduction: What is the purpose of prayer.
Session Two: “Your Kingdom Come” with Kelly Minter uses the Lord’s Prayer on how to pray.
Session Three: “My Heart Rejoices in the Lord” with Jackie Hill Perry-Petition, or presenting our requests to God and she does a verse-by-verse study of Hannah’s prayer.
Session Four: “Your Works Are Wondrous” with Jen Wilkin, she did prayer adoration, or praise and studies David’s prayer in Psalm 139.
Session Five: “How Long, O Lord?” with Jennifer Rothschild was all on lament and Psalm 13
Session Six: “May You Be Filled” with Jada Edwards studies one of Paul’s many prayers as an example of intercession, or praying for the needs of others.
Session Seven: “May They Be One” with Kristi McLelland: prayer of unity and focuses on Jesus and the Last Supper.
Overall I liked this study and would recommend it anyone wanting to study more on prayer or having trouble finding the words to pray.
April 30, 2025
When You Pray is a Bible study written by 6 teachers of God’s Word. I was so blessed and humbled with this study as we started out with the Lord’s Prayer, prayers of petition & thanksgiving, prayers of adoration, prayers of lament, prayers of intercession and prayers that unify. If your church is looking for a study for the ladies’ small group, this would be such a great opportunity to learn just how important prayer is in our life. Especially together. Hearing the prayers that Jesus prayed for us is simply an honor!!
February 29, 2024
I really liked having a variety of authors and the different prayer focuses each week. I was really challenged about my own prayer life.
April 24, 2024
Excellent study
October 22, 2024
Overall I found this study helpful, and it definitely helped me with consistency in my prayer life. Also the videos were really great!! I’m glad our women’s ministry went through this one :)
December 2, 2025
A really fabulous book that closely looks at various important prayers, and allows you to unpack each one. I enjoyed how various authors were included!
February 16, 2025
sweet sweet study
April 3, 2024
I loved the format of this bible study with a different teacher doing the homework portion and video for each week. The content was excellent as well.
June 21, 2024
As I’ve previously said in a book review, Tara struggles with prayer 😅 so I’ve really focused on this topic lately. I so appreciated this study. Simple yet profound. And I really loved the video teachings — solid stuff. It was interesting to see the different teaching styles for each session/speaker —some are more helpful than others, but I’m sure that varies from person to person. What an all star group to come up with a study on prayer!
November 10, 2023
I did this with my womens bible study group at church. Really breaking down 6 prayers in the Bible and how to incorporate what you learn into your own prayers. Covers prayers of adoration, petition, lament, unity, and more. Each of the 7 segments has a 35ish minute presentation. Each chapter is written by a different person. i think i liked Jennifer Rothschild and Kelly Minter the most. Some styles i enjoyed more than others, but I really did love this book/study guide. Made for lots of good discussions with my fellow sisters in Christ. I highly recommend this for a group or individual study.
November 12, 2023
The five authors all bring something different to the study. I don't feel like it hangs together well. The writing styles are very different and some contributors are less able to make their points. That said, there was enough here to make the material worthwhile and I'm always willing to give new voices a chance.
December 4, 2024
This book was "ok". I don't know what I was expecting when I checked it out from the library but it really didn't hold my attention.
March 18, 2025
So I think it’s important to start by acknowledging that I’m not this study’s target audience (I have a much more progressive theology). But I have fond memories of Beth Moore Bible studies from when I was an eager young evangelical, so I wanted to try to get that intellectual stimulation back. I couldn’t for the life of me find that style of study that more closely aligned with my understanding of God (still seeking recommendations!), so I decided to just go ahead and give Lifeway my money.
(Sidenote: Can a publisher that isn’t awful actually look into producing this style of study? I want to give you all my money!)
I opted for this study so that I could “try out” a host of their popular study writers, and this definitely delivered on that goal. I have opinions of each author now, and it really wasn’t too bad reading and studying from such a different point of view. There were, of course, a number of things that I fundamentally disagreed with, and even more that I struggle with. And, yes, some of those were pretty foundational to the study itself, but I just shifted my mindset to be a bit more curious.
One thing that I found frustrating was the selection of teaching videos. I didn’t realize that the videos are just recaps of the week (often nearly word-for-word). I didn’t love this, but if you look at pages 74-77 of the Women’s Catalog on the Lifeway website, it describes which studies have videos that are “enriching” (recaps) versus “essential” (actual teaching).
With regards for each author…
1. I quite liked Kelly Minter. Her writing made a lot of sense to me, and she had some interesting insights about the Lord’s Prayer.
2. I loved Jackie Hill Perry’s style (writing and teaching!). Her week on Hannah’s prayer was probably my favorite of the entire study. With that being said, I am not sure I’ll ever be able to get over just how harmful her theology is…
3. Jen Wilkin seems to be everyone’s favorite, so I was hoping to like her more, but I left her session a bit underwhelmed. I do plan on doing another study by her though, as I got the impression that this wasn’t her norm.
4. Jennifer Rothschild’s demeanor in her video session was so warm and sincere you can’t help but want to be her friend! Her actual study felt a little too surface-level for me, though her prayer outline on Day 5 was probably my favorite singular aspect of the entire study. I’ll probably check out her podcast.
5. Jada Edwards didn’t leave much for the participant to actually do—her week was heavy on her own insights and interpretation, and it felt very, very repetitive to me.
6. Kristi McLelland’s session seemed out of place in this study because she chose to focus on the Upper Room Discourse in its entirety rather than a singular prayer type (this is way too much for a week, in my opinion). I liked her injection of historical commentary, but something about her voice really turned me off of her. I don’t even know how to articulate why I didn’t like it, but I really, really didn’t.
Overall, this was a fine study for what it is. I guess I’ll keep giving Lifeway my money until Abingdon or someone else wises up and taps the market.
(Sidenote: Can a publisher that isn’t awful actually look into producing this style of study? I want to give you all my money!)
I opted for this study so that I could “try out” a host of their popular study writers, and this definitely delivered on that goal. I have opinions of each author now, and it really wasn’t too bad reading and studying from such a different point of view. There were, of course, a number of things that I fundamentally disagreed with, and even more that I struggle with. And, yes, some of those were pretty foundational to the study itself, but I just shifted my mindset to be a bit more curious.
One thing that I found frustrating was the selection of teaching videos. I didn’t realize that the videos are just recaps of the week (often nearly word-for-word). I didn’t love this, but if you look at pages 74-77 of the Women’s Catalog on the Lifeway website, it describes which studies have videos that are “enriching” (recaps) versus “essential” (actual teaching).
With regards for each author…
1. I quite liked Kelly Minter. Her writing made a lot of sense to me, and she had some interesting insights about the Lord’s Prayer.
2. I loved Jackie Hill Perry’s style (writing and teaching!). Her week on Hannah’s prayer was probably my favorite of the entire study. With that being said, I am not sure I’ll ever be able to get over just how harmful her theology is…
3. Jen Wilkin seems to be everyone’s favorite, so I was hoping to like her more, but I left her session a bit underwhelmed. I do plan on doing another study by her though, as I got the impression that this wasn’t her norm.
4. Jennifer Rothschild’s demeanor in her video session was so warm and sincere you can’t help but want to be her friend! Her actual study felt a little too surface-level for me, though her prayer outline on Day 5 was probably my favorite singular aspect of the entire study. I’ll probably check out her podcast.
5. Jada Edwards didn’t leave much for the participant to actually do—her week was heavy on her own insights and interpretation, and it felt very, very repetitive to me.
6. Kristi McLelland’s session seemed out of place in this study because she chose to focus on the Upper Room Discourse in its entirety rather than a singular prayer type (this is way too much for a week, in my opinion). I liked her injection of historical commentary, but something about her voice really turned me off of her. I don’t even know how to articulate why I didn’t like it, but I really, really didn’t.
Overall, this was a fine study for what it is. I guess I’ll keep giving Lifeway my money until Abingdon or someone else wises up and taps the market.
May 27, 2024
This was a really wonderful Bible study book that allowed me to study several different types of prayer using passages from the Bible as models and inspiration. We studied prayers intercession, adoration, thanksgiving, lamentation, petition, and intercession. We studied such famous passages as the Lord's Prayer, part of the Upper Room Discourse, a prayer from Paul, and Psalm 139. I feel that I really learned a great deal about the different types of prayer and how to make my own prayer life more effective. I also enjoyed the fact that this study was written by several different teachers, giving us the benefit of their different perspectives and teaching styles. I enjoyed this one and recommend it for anyone wanting to improve their prayer life.
June 10, 2024
This is the last study our women’s group did together before breaking for Summer. It’s unique in that it’s written by 6 different women author/speakers. The book broke down different instances of prayer in the Bible… praying like Jesus (studying The Lord’s Prayer in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount), prayers of petition, prayers of adoration, prayers of lament, intercessory prayers, & ended with an intentional prayer from Jesus that includes US!
Each section is broken into 5 days, but we found that it was filled with so much information we could split 1 session into 2 Bible Study sessions…lots to unpack! Now that I’m finished, I feel like I need to start at the beginning and read through all of the passages I highlighted and notes I took in the margins to help me remember!
Each section is broken into 5 days, but we found that it was filled with so much information we could split 1 session into 2 Bible Study sessions…lots to unpack! Now that I’m finished, I feel like I need to start at the beginning and read through all of the passages I highlighted and notes I took in the margins to help me remember!
July 31, 2023
4.5 stars rounded up to 5! I loved doing this Bible study over the summer with a small group from my church. The videos were great along with how each week touched on a different type of prayer in the Bible. Each chapter was written by a different person, so you can really see their study approaches. I definitely enjoyed Jen Wilkin and Jackie Hill Perry the best!
Jada Edwards’ chapter was the hardest to get through because there wasn’t much work to do with it, just alot of reading and deep questions to ponder.
Overall it was a great Bible study to help me be more comfortable and intentional in my prayer life!
Jada Edwards’ chapter was the hardest to get through because there wasn’t much work to do with it, just alot of reading and deep questions to ponder.
Overall it was a great Bible study to help me be more comfortable and intentional in my prayer life!
April 29, 2024
I read this book with my Bible study group. It is a collection of studies on six different prayers of Jesus, written by six different authors, and comes with a link to videos by each author. My copy of the book is now full of highlights, underlines, and notes in the margin. Some of the pages are dogeared. This will remain in my bookcase for years, and serve as a frequent reference to points I want to review from time to time. The points of view of the authors let me to deeper insights on several topics.
Every author that contributed to "When You Pray" is just as profound and easy to read as the next, and they are all good speakers in their videos. I highly recommend this book.
Every author that contributed to "When You Pray" is just as profound and easy to read as the next, and they are all good speakers in their videos. I highly recommend this book.
December 31, 2025
Absolutely amazing book. Dives super deep into scripture. Gives a really in depth version of the Lord’s Prayer, Prayers of Petition and Healing, Prayers of Adoration, Prayers of Lament, Prayers of Intercession and Prayers that Unify. The diversity of multiple authors offers differing perspectives, experiences, and personal stories that connect topics to Scripture. This study was like reading a story and it was easily comprehensible. It required thorough thought process and time to get through each week. It requires a lot of work and dedication of several hours per week (1-3 hours) to get through each session. Highly worth it, very encouraging and inspirational.
December 10, 2023
I loved this study! It provided a great opportunity to explore the teaching and study style of each of the six teachers. Though each week carried the personality of its teacher, the study was presented as a cohesive whole… each teacher referenced others and were clearly engaged as a group to create the study. I discovered some truths I didn’t know about prayer, was given some words for beliefs I held but didn’t know how to verbalize, and gained new perspective about how God meets us in prayer. I highly recommend!
September 4, 2024
Our ladies group at church went through this study on prayer. One thing to note, this is more a study ABOUT prayer (studying prayers in the Bible) than a study focusing on praying. It does encourage praying but I didn’t find it to be the focus.
This study was taught by 6 different women giving the audience a chance to become familiar with the teaching and study styles of each one. (This was helpful for us in choosing our next study!)
I found the women’s styles all a bit different, and some resonated with me more than others, but they were all good, biblically faithful teachers.
This study was taught by 6 different women giving the audience a chance to become familiar with the teaching and study styles of each one. (This was helpful for us in choosing our next study!)
I found the women’s styles all a bit different, and some resonated with me more than others, but they were all good, biblically faithful teachers.
October 19, 2023
I liked that each type of prayer had a different author but I definitely enjoyed the writing & study styles of some authors more than others. Also by the end of this study I was over it & ready to just be done. Some weeks the videos were a great addition to the study, other weeks it was just a recap of what we already worked through. I would say overall the videos didn't add anything extra. I wouldn't recommend this study to anyone else tbh.
March 15, 2024
I did this with a group of five meeting in my home. We met once a month taking a few months off around the holidays. We did the lesson and watched the teaching video on our own. When we met, we talked about what God was teaching us and what stuck out to us and let the conversation flow from there.
I am not really a fan of workbooks, but this one was worth it. Listen to the teaching videos as well, they are well done.
I am not really a fan of workbooks, but this one was worth it. Listen to the teaching videos as well, they are well done.
May 2, 2024
I enjoyed having 6 different women of faith lead us through different prayers in the Bible. My small group studied each “week” over 2 weeks so it gave us time to go to every reference, linger on many prayers in scripture, write many personal prayers to cherish, and reach out to loved ones in prayer and love. This study provided depth to my prayer life in this season! I recommend doing this with a small group.
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