It's easy to pray for others' needs. If God takes a long time in answering--or answers with a no--it's easier to take. Far more difficult is focusing on your own needs, when sometimes you don't get the answers you want. What do you pray when life gets hard or even unbearable? When you lose a spouse or a child? When your health deteriorates? When your spiritual life seems barren? Linda Evans Shepherd knows what it's like to pray in the most dire of circumstances. She shows readers the how, what, and when of praying for themselves. As she takes readers through her own prayer journey and the stories of others, they will be encouraged and equipped to pray for themselves in any circumstance. They'll also find that whether or not God changes their circumstances, he will use prayer to change them.

They Knew How to Pray invites you to study with biblical masters of prayer. They will counsel you with their cries to God, ignite your faith with their spiritual passion, and mold your heart to God's.

They Knew How to Pray invites you to study with biblical masters of prayer. They will counsel you with their cries to God, ignite your faith with their spiritual passion, and mold your heart to God's.

Here’s a practical guide of short prayer starters that will help you pray confidently during difficult times. From illness and death to divorce and job loss, dozens of topics are covered. Each section opens with a short devotional thought and applicable scripture. Great as a ministry resource or for your personal library, Prayers for Difficult Times is a must-have tool for anyone searching for a stronger prayer life.

New York Times bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst unveils her heart amid shattering circumstances and shows readers how to live assured when life doesn't turn out like they expected. What do you do when God’s timing seems questionable, His lack of intervention hurtful, and His promises doubtful? Life often looks so very different than we hoped or expected. Some events may simply catch us off guard for a moment, but others shatter us completely. We feel disappointed and disillusioned, and we quietly start to wonder about the reality of God’s goodness. Lysa TerKeurst understands this deeply. But she's also discovered that our disappointments can be the divine appointments our souls need to radically encounter God. In It's Not Supposed to Be This Way, Lysa invites us into her own journey of faith and, with grit, vulnerability, and honest humor, helps us to: Stop being pulled into the anxiety of disappointment by discovering how to better process unmet expectations and other painful situations. Train ourselves to recognize the three strategies of the enemy so we can stand strong and persevere through unsettling relationships and uncertain outcomes. Discover the secret of being steadfast and not panicking when God actually does give us more than we can handle. Shift our suspicion that God is cruel or unfair to the biblical assurance that God is protecting and preparing us. Know how to encourage a friend and help her navigate hard realities with real help from God's truth.

Prayer seems like it should be so simple. Yet, when it comes to actually praying, so often it feels awkward and complicated. The truth is, prayer is simple. It's like talking. Talking with a good friend. Down-to-earth pastor Adam Weber offers an accessible, hopeful approach to one of life's greatest mysteries: talking with God. Now with a brand new bonus chapter and in paperback. This is a book on prayer for the person who longs to connect with God, but doesn't really know how. It's a book for the person who has a job, family, schedule, kids, deadlines, full inbox, and a million things to do and yet is curious about prayer and talking with God. What does it really look like to pray in the midst of all of life's craziness?

Prayers that strike the mark are specific prayers authorized by the Holy Spirit and endowed with divine power to accomplish the will of God in your life and for the needs of the world. On the cross, Jesus fulfilled the ultimate answer to all of our prayers, but He awaits our invitation to come into our situations and circumstances. When people of prayer intercede, they create a meeting place between the heavenly Father and His children. God comes upon the person who is praying and moves them from the natural to the supernatural. Empowered by God, the intercessor has the authority to cut down enemy forces and pick out "targets" for God’s lightning bolts of glory, bringing victory and breakthrough. Intercession could be called "extreme prayer” because it links extreme needs with the extraordinary power of God. Inserting ourselves into the gap between God and a need, we call upon the Holy Spirit, our Helper, who is ready to move us from finite ability to infinite ability, take hold of difficult situations, and help accomplish the will of God. We have the great honor of being called to “paint targets” on cities, churches, ministries, family members, contemporary "Sauls" (those who persecute or cause difficulty), and even ourselves. Our believing, persistent prayers will Strike the Mark! “He covers His hands with the lightning, and commands it to strike the mark” (Job 36:32 NASB).