Something Happens When Women Pray by Barbara Calloway

Today’s Guest Blogger is Barbara Calloway. Barbara is a conference speaker and host, revivalist, Psalmist, and mentor, She does it all with excitement and inspiration as an end time voice sent by God to proclaim the gospel in a relevant and passionate way. The evidence of Gods power is ever present in her life with results of miracles, signs and wonders.

She is known to be straightforward, yet filled with compassion for God’s people believing that every encounter in God’s presence should leave you changed and charged to be all that He intends for you to be. She comes from a strong lineage of pastors and ministers and is a third generation minister the eldest daughter of the late Pastor Edward Calloway and Missionary Jacquelyn Calloway. Although she travels extensively, she is a member of The New Covenant Fellowship Church of McKinney under the dynamic leadership of Pastors Derrick and Ilya Golden.

Her prize possession is her gifted children, Destinee and Jadell.

On any given week, I get the chance to speak to hundreds of women, whether they join my 5am prayer call or attend a service where I’m ministering the word of God. Women who are beautiful on the outside, but broken on the inside, married but somewhat unfulfilled, singles who are not satisfied with being alone. And then there are other women that I meet whose lives are totally together; they have a successful marriage, children are excelling, business is booming and things couldn’t be better, but all these women have something in common. They worry too much, and pray too little.

I love the story of Hannah in I Samuel 1:1-20 because it shows us the picture of every woman. Hannah was married, and pretty well off but she was still miserable because she couldn’t have a child. Having a child was probably her greatest desire. Of course, having that child was wrapped up in her fulfilling her purpose. Every year, she, her husband and his other wife, Peninnah, went to the temple to worship and offer sacrifice, and Hannah couldn’t really enjoy her time there because she was worrying too much and praying too little.

One year, Hannah finally came to her senses, and decided she would not worry that year but would instead go to the temple and pray, telling God exactly what she wanted from Him and leaving it there. Her act of prayer and worship caused God to remember her ,nd grant her the desire of her heart (vs. 19).

As women it’s often easier to worry about situations first, and then pray later, especially when it comes to fulfilling our purpose. Yes, I’ll be the first to admit that I worry about my children first before I release them to God in prayer. I worry about ministry ideas, plans and events before I release them to God. I think it’s pretty safe to say that we all do this, but how is it helping us? We should always pray first and leave the rest up to God.

Philippians 4:6-7 says ^“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Something powerful happens when we as women pray; I believe that we get God’s attention in a different kind of way, when he hears the cries of his daughters, he responds.

Starting today, the next time worry creeps into your mind, resist it, take a deep breath and pray this prayer: “Father God, I come to you right now in this moment feeling overwhelmed and even afraid, but in this moment I also know that you are in control of all things and you have the power to fix any problem that I’m facing, so I surrender it to you and I say, let your will be done in my life. I resist worry and I accept your peace, I resist fear, and I accept faith. I resist anxiety, and I accept serenity in my mind, body and soul. In Jesus’ name, Amen”.

If you’re going to worry about it, pray about it, and if you’re going to pray about it, don’t worry about it. Remember God is in control!