Reader,

Prayer. What comes to mind when you hear that word? What was prayer like for you as a child? Did you have women in mind when you thought about it?

I ask because I could put those same questions to women around the world, any age, any stage, any season, and I'm sure no two answers would be the same.

This email is a bit different. It's an invitation to join Lectio 365's Global Week of Prayer, but first, a few thoughts on women and prayer.

This month marks the 10th anniversary of my hosting #sheprays in my living room on Friday mornings. Over the years, the faces have changed, and we've prayed for almost everything you can imagine. What struck me this week is the beauty of faithfulness and the shared history of women praying together. To share grief, joy, sadness, loss, new beginnings. To sit in a living room and hold space for a sister in Christ processing the loss of her mother. That is holy ground. Prayer.

What is prayer, exactly? If we look at the origin of the English word, it comes from the Old French preiere, meaning something "obtained by entreaty." Because of this, we may have thought of prayer as a way to ask for what we need. But it is so much more than that.

A quick search for "What is prayer in Scripture?" shows that some believe it's modeled as early as the Garden, in the conversation between Adam and Eve. Others point to Genesis 4, "when people began to call on the name of the LORD."

There are at least a dozen Hebrew words for pray and prayer, but the most common is tĕpillâ, and its related verb, pālal (Hamilton, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, p. 725).

One article notes that one of the earliest instances of tefillah appears in Genesis 25:21, where Isaac entreats God on Rebekah's behalf so that she can conceive. Hannah, too, entreats the Lord in her distress for a son.

But I don't think that's fair to Eve. How could she not have been crying out to God when Cain killed Abel? Or Sarah — was she crying out of her shame in being barren? Noah's wife? Can you imagine what she might have been praying? Deborah in Judges had to be a woman of prayer. The list goes on and on.

I can't help but wonder what's coming up for you right now. What are you praying, or crying out to God for? Is there a woman in Scripture who's shaped how you think about prayer?

Prayer takes so many forms — private, between just you and God; two or three gathered; and sometimes something larger, corporate. Like the Upper Room. Whatever you picture when you think of the disciples waiting there, it wasn't limited to twelve men.

"They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus." — Acts 1:14 NLT

This is the last time Mary is mentioned in Scripture. Gathered. Praying. Waiting alongside others.

That's the kind of prayer I'd like to invite you into. Not in my living room, but virtually, alongside others around the globe. This year's Lectio 365 Global Week of Prayer carries the theme At the Name of Jesus, rooted in Philippians 2:9-11: "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord." You can pick your own hour, your time zone, your language, your way of praying. Bring a friend or family member if you'd like. Like the Upper Room, this isn't a #sheprays event. It's open to everyone.

​Q&A link for the prayer room​

This brief look at prayer has got me thinking — a study of all the women in Scripture and how they prayed, whether the word "prayer" ever shows up in the text, would be one I'd love to do.

For now, I hope you won't just read this and move on, but actually look at your calendar and grab a spot before the idea slips your mind.

Any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know.