Prayer with Valerie Woerner
On today’s episode of the Journeywomen podcast, I chatted with Valerie Woerner of Val Marie Paper Company. We talked about everything from the purpose of prayer to how it works in conjunction with the other spiritual disciples. I confessed that prayer is one of the most humbling aspects of my walk with the Lord, and ya’ll, our conversation got me excited! I walked away encouraged to take advantage of the real privilege we have to grow in intimacy with God through prayer. Val said, “Jesus had to die on the cross so that we could be in communication with God. Without the cross, sin would separate us from God. There is no other way to have communication with God apart from the cross.” I am so thankful that Christ came so that we can be in true fellowship with God by the power of the Holy Spirit. What a gift to get to converse with him because of what Christ has done for us!
So you’ll know her a little better, Valerie does life every day with her husband, Tyler, who is the owner of Pixelbrush Studios by day and a gourmet chef by night. She is momma to Vivi Mae and Vana. Her best friend was sort of built in but she wouldn’t trade her for any other, her twin sister Natalie! They live in Woerner Bungalow and are passionate about minimalistic living and finding margin in this busy-loving world. They live in Lafayette, Louisiana (also known as Cajun Country). She loves her life and where God has taken her, but He is far from done with her. Valerie doesn’t pretend to have it all figured out, but she’s happy to share her journey with us all! Her recent book, The Finishing School, is her journey and what she’d share with us if we were sitting on her porch drinking iced tea. I’m so excited for ya’ll to hear from her today!
Can you tell us a little about who you are and what you do?
What is prayer? What is the purpose of it?
Why is prayer an essential element in our walk with the Lord?
How does the Gospel enable and empower our communication with God?
Why do we pray? What's the aim/goal of our prayers?
How can we patiently wait and faithfully continue to pray when we don't feel like we have an answer?
How does prayer affect our spiritual growth?
How does prayer work in conjunction with the other Spiritual Disciplines (like Bible intake, meditation, Scripture memorization, fasting, etc)?
Does praying come naturally to you, or is it something you've had to cultivate?
How can we cultivate a love for prayer when it feels like more of a duty than a delight?
THREE QUESTIONS I ASK EVERY GUEST
What 3 resources would you recommend to those of us who desire to grow in prayer?
What are 3 of your simple joys?
Who has had the biggest influence on your own journey with Jesus?
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES
“We do need tools [to help us pray] and God is glad when we recognize our weakness and use the tools we have around us.”
“Prayer is how we communicate with the Lord.”
“Prayer is a conversation.”
“If we want to know God and have a relationship with him, we have to be talking to him. It will change our life here on earth.”
“We can forget the opportunity we have here on earth to know him, even though we aren’t in his presence yet.”
“Jesus had to die on the cross so that we could be in communication with God. Without the cross, sin would separate us from God. There is no other way to have communication with God apart from the cross.”
“Remember how easy it is to have a communication with God throughout the day."
“There is something so different when we can pray the words that are in the Bible.”
“I need to focus my heart on truth before I start talking [to God].”
“God will not do something outside of his character.”
“Realize the beauty of persistence [in prayer].”
“Faithfully praying over and over shows how much we trust God.”
“I pray a lot for little victories… Make sure your eyes are open. He might be doing stuff that would energize us to keep praying, we just have to look for it.”
“Prayer helps us to live a more surrendered life.”
“God has the full picture, and I have a very small picture.”
“I have to trust that the Lord is bigger than me. The more I focus on him and not on myself, I can come to grips with that.”
“You have to know the Word in order to pray the will of God, to align our hearts with his, and to stay focused on him when our mind wants to wander off.”
“If you’re giving up something [in this season of Lent], hopefully it is not just to give up something but to be filled with the Lord.”
“Whenever you persist in prayer, you will develop a love for prayer.
“You’re not going to develop a love for prayer without doing it.”
“Prayer is a gift that God is offering you.”
“Prayer is a privilege.”
RESOURCES
Praying out loud in different tempos (loud and powerful, or quiet and restful)
The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds on Prayer: Experience the Wonders of God through Prayer by E. M. Bounds
Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels
The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie Omartian
The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian
The Power of a Praying Mom by Stormie Omartian
Put prayer alerts in your calendar on your phone
SIMPLE JOYS
Walking barefoot around her neighborhood
Dark chocolate with toffee
Screened in porch
OTHER RESOURCES MENTIONED
Val Marie Paper Prayer Journals
66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God That Invites You into His Story by Larry Crabb
The One Year Book of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament by Nancy Guthrie
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen interviews are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select guests each week, interviews do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the interviewee or any other resources mentioned.
Affiliate links used are used where appropriate. Thank you for supporting the products that support Journeywomen!
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