Mar 25, 2021
Today I have the absolute pleasure of sharing my conversation with the remarkable Linda Evans Shepherd. Linda is an award winning author, and speaker, and she’s one fierce prayer warrior and the word of God just flows out of her in the most beautiful way. Linda has been through several Job like seasons in her life which have brought her to her knees during some dark nights of the soul. In those seasons, Linda was asking God a lot of the questions many of us have been asking during this insane year: Where is He? Does He love me? Does He care about me? She shares with us what she has learned about the power of prayer from her own experiences, and she goes deep and wide in how the Lord can and will meet us where we are because He met her too.
Her most recent book is called Praying through Every Emotion and that's exactly what it is. It's a book comprised of prayers that speak directly to the heart of the matter, no matter where they fall on the emotional spectrum. The everyday ones like joy, sadness, anger, annoyance, etc. all the way to the hard ones like bitterness, depression or suicidal ideation. This conversation was just so powerful because Linda’s story is powerful, and the activity of God in her life is powerful. But she also shares how accessible God is to ANYONE. If you need some breath in your deflated faith, or a reminder of how to pray, or just a powerful word spoken over your day, this episode is for you.
There is something about spending time with some\one who has been to hell and back and their love for Jesus and their walk with them has only deepened that just feels like balm to a weary soul. I cannot suggest her book enough, it's a beautiful tool for such a time as this. Listen, friend. No matter where you are today, I want you to know that this is not how the story ends. There is still hope. God is still moving, He is still faithful, no matter how dark it feels. Don’t give up. You matter. Your story matters.
Connecting with Linda:
*Linda’s special offer of extra prayers that didn’t make it into her book!!
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Scripture References:
The book of Job- his losses, his wife says to curse God and die, his friends mock Him
Job 13:15- Even if He slay me, yet I will trust in Him
John 15:12- To love and be loved
Philippians 4:7- Peace that passes understanding
Lamentations 3:21-23- God is faithful (and a ton more!)
Mark 4:13-20-Parable of farmer and good seeds and soil
Matthew 13- The cares of this world choke the seedlings so they can’t bear fruit
Galatians 5:22-23-Fruits of the Spirit
Luke 3:21-22, Matthew 3:16-17- When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on Him
Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13- He then goes to wilderness to experience temptation
Matthew 26:36-56, Luke 22:39-46 - Jesus wept in the garden of Gethsemane
John 11- Jesus wept for Lazarus
Psalm 34:18,Hebrews 4:15, Romans 8:26 -Jesus is with us and experiences our pain with us (we have a High Priest who can sympathize, He prays for us in groanings we cannot even understand)
Romans 14:8-9- Asking Jesus to become Lord of our life
1 John 1:9- Asking Jesus to forgive us of our sins
John 15:4-11, John 16:12-15, Galatians 5:16-16, We begin a process of yielding to Him and the work of the Spirit in our lives
1 Peter 5:7- Yielding our cares to God
Psalm 46:10- Be still
Praying the Living Word to a Living God
Ephesians 6:10-18- Armor of God
Ephesians 4:22-24- Put on the righteousness of God
Judges 7, 2 Chronicles 20- God wiping out armies with no human help
2 Corinthians 12:7-10-Thorn in my flesh
Matthew 6:14-15, Matthew 18:21-22- We forgive as an act of obedience
Romans 8:28- work together for the good of those who love Him
Genesis 50:20- End of Joseph’s story, what the enemy meant for evil, God used for good
Romans 8:37- We are more than conquerors in Christ
Psalm 51:10- Create in me a clean heart oh God
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18-Pray without ceasing
Matthew 25- The 10 Bridesmaids story
2 Timothy 3:1-4:5- Form of godliness, but denying His power (in the last days)
Genesis 22:14, Ezekiel 34:26-29, Psalm 104:27-28, Psalm 145:16,-God is our provider
Luke 11:1-13- Teach us how to pray
Ephesians 3:20- More than you could ask for or imagine
John 10:10- Jesus came that we would have life and life to the full
Isaiah 41:13, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 121:1 - We have help
Psalm 62:8, Psalm 91- We have a refuge
References:
Andrew Murray prayer- Moody Bible Institute “more Holy Spirit”
“God of my end” - Puritan prayers
Roseanna M. White books where the characters pray this prayer (also 3 of my favorite Christian fiction books EVER)
The Autobiography of George Mueller
Connecting with Emily and Simply Stories
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*Intro and Outro music is from audionautix.com