Book Review: On the Same Page with God, Embracing the Power of Praying Scripture
Title: On the Same Page with God, Embracing the Power of Praying Scripture
Author: Jenn Soehnlin
Publisher: Autograph Publishing
Published Date: July 30,2024
Pages: 301
Format: Paperback or Kindle available
Synopsis: This book was the product of a life full of “doubts, anxieties, and challenges” and the added demands of two special needs children. Thoughts that her prayers were going unanswered continued to stew in her mind. In a moment among friends, she nervously revealed “everything that had been weighing on my soul and mind for the last few years.” Those godly and caring women began “boldly declaring the word of God over me-my anxiety, my doubts, my faith, my struggles, my children, and my marriage”
This was the catalyst she needed to dig deep into her faith, the sage insights of others, but most importantly the sacred words of God Almighty. The title reflects the power of prayer when our words align with God’s Word on the pages of scriptures.
This book addresses the practice and types of prayer. In addition, twleve chapters are devoted to getting on the Same Page with God by addressing specific topics such as spiritual protection to family, marriage and children, and justice.
Peresevering in prayer it’s own chapter.
Rating
My Thoughts…
I have secretly thought those prayers “that availeth much” were for people with a spiritual maturity I would never attain.
It is my desire to pray with confidence and to access the power God has waiting for us. I persue this by studying guidance and teaching on prayer by believers seasoned by trial and fire.
I took the opportunity to read/study this book because of my familiarity with Jenn Soehnlin as a subscriber to her blog. She is a mom raising two special needs boys. That fact peaked my interest knowing those two boys and all associated strains on one’s emotions, time, finances, and marriage, ect. continues to be what keeps her before the throne of grace. I was delighted to see that one chapter is devoted to persevere in prayer.
Her introduction expresses the two weapons with which we fight: prayer and the Word of God. If you are reading this post, then you are old enough to know that into the joys, happiness and mountain-top experiences of our lives invades the fight: the fight for peace, health, finances, broken relationships, hope and purpose.
“Praying scripture is powerful because God has already given us the words
He wants us to know, believe, claim, and pray.”
I was delighted that she teaches and encourages the practice of scripture-based prayer using:
- Scripture
- other godly sages, both famous and not so famous
- personal experiences
Especially enlightening was the imagery of the poetry Isaiah used in chapter 55, verses 9-11. Verse Isaiah 55:11 is commonly used to teach how powerful and purposeful are God’s words. Jenn points out that as God designed the cycle of water in the form of the rain and snow, He also designed His cycle of words.
Being a nature-lover, imagining rain and snow as a picture of God’s words falling and nurshing. This brings a depth of meaning and confidence that His words fall on us like moisture on the earth for a specific purpose. C. S. Lewis describes the imagination as the organ of meaning. I imagine this picture of rain and snow falling in my mind, nurishing what it intended. That picture of nurishing the world allows for nature to flourish in splendor and beauty.
I observed something that she did not specifically address but was present in every chapter. The multiplying effect of her experiences, the sage teaching of other godly writers, and most deeply the words made real in her life and development in her practice of scripture-based prayer life.
An entire chapter is devoted the Practice of Prayer, along with scripture-based prayers in every chapter by topic, along with discussions questions at the end of the book.
Her book delivers on what it promises.
I will use only one chapter as an example of the way she delivers on her promises for the contents of the book. I had taken extensive notes and made many annotations in my copy of her book. If I used all of those in my review, it would be so long, no one would read it.
Chapter 15, for example, addresses Praying for Your Purpose. This begins with hearing a preacher say, at a young age, that “You have a purpose.”
Whether we recognize it or not, every human is designed want their life to have meaning, i.e., to have purpose.
Scripture: To validate this God-given desire, she reviews one example in scripture. The first person with which God anoited with the Holy Spirit for a specific purpose was Bezalel. Not only was he filled with wisdon, knowledge, and understanding, but with structural and artistic skills of metallurgy, woodworking , jewelry-making, tapestry, and embroidry and the like for the purpose of making a the tabernacle a place like the Garden of Eden.
Reading books on prayer: She has done her homework in the study of prayer. A total of twelve godly people outside of scripture are referenced for their insight, encouragement, and practice in inspired prayer in this one chapter.
For example, she quotes Bishop T. D. Jakes in Mama Made the Difference: Life Lessons My Mother Taught Me. He writes “She (my mother) became a warrior far superior to any epic hero. She became a giant on her knees. With a sword in one hand she battled the enemies of death and disease, and with her other hand stretched toward heaven she kept beseeching God’s help and His mercy.
Personal experiences: Inspired by the scripture-based prayers of the ladies in her Bible study, Jenn determined to do likewise in prayers for both her son’s speech and languge difficulties and development. She found refreshing joy when using God’s own words to activate His power.
“Seeing God answer your prayers does wonders for your faith. But a large part of what brought me joy was that the practice of praying is the very words of God’s own heart and mouth drew me so much closer to Him.”
Her writing style drew me into her experiences and teaching. I found myself “journeling” and responding with annotations in the margins as if I was speaking with her.
She wrote about the use of spiritual gifts while in the “overwhelming season of parenting my two little children and meeting all their unique needs”. She found time to “write out my thoughts and questions and doubts and prayers to God in my prayer journal”. As I read, I found my thoughts resonated with her thoughts and circumstances. I too put down skeleton thoughts and struggles. As time and emotions allowed, I fleshed out those in a way to encourage myself of God’s presence, provision, and peace.
One entire chapter is devoted to the practice of perseverance in prayer. Too often this is only briefly addressed. Chapter 20, Persevering in Prayer launches with a common struggle when praying.
“One of the biggest obsticles for many believers is discourgement when our prayers go unanswered.”
The story of Elijah and his prayers for rain from heaven are used as an example of perseverance answered with dramatic provision. She reminds us that he prayed many times with no visible sign of an answer. Then the smallest cloud appeared. Scripture doesn’t say, but that had to be the hope for Elijah to persevere until the prayer be answered in full.
I would have made one addition in her discussion of Elijah’s prayers for rain in Chapter 20. The words recorded in I Kings 18:1 say: “After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah. Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” We see Elijah obeyed and presented himself to Ahab.
It is important to note that God promised Elijah it would rain before he went to Ahab. James writes in 5:17 that “he prayed and the heavens gave rain”. The reason Elijah’s prayer was answered is the fact that he was praying when God told him to pray and what God had promised.
We have the entire epic narrative of God’s story in print. It is our job to seek out the promises and claim those things He has already granted.
God desires to train us in the practice of prayer. However, unanswered prayer can propel us to pray in great earnestness, and pray with perseverence. As always, the Bible offers us encouragement and training.
Hannah is another example of persevering in prayer in the midst of her “great anguish and grief” due to infertility, to which many of us can relate. We are reminded why Hannah’s longing and eventual gift of a child is so encouraging for women in the same situation. We have a “bird’s eye view” of this time in her life-we can see the provision she didn’t know would ever come. We can also see the abundance of God’s provision in the gift of five more children!
Take Away
- Powerful and effective prayer is based on the cycle of the Word. God’s Word comes down from heaven, nurishes our hearts, minds, and desires, then return to Him in the form of our praise and prayers (Isaiah 55:9-11).
- A reliance on scripture, wise counsel, and one’s own experiences trains me to pray like Elijah.
- Prayer requires practice.
Discussion time
Have you read this book? If so, I’d love to hear your take-aways. Are you struggling with unanswered prayers? Do the words to express your needs evade you? This book might just give you the hope and words to get started.
P.S. If you need prayer, I would consider it a priveldge to serve you in that way. You can make a comment below, email me at melissa@thewayofperseverence.blog.
Disclaimer: I follow Jenn Soehnlin’s substack prayerempoweredwriter@substack.com. I also use her “25 Scriptures To Pray for Your Writing”. She offered a copy of this book for review to her subscribers. I gladly accepted her offer to join her book review team. This does not affect my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
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