Iron Rose Sister Ministries

Written by Laureen Henegar, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Colorado

“And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem." 
Luke 2:36-38

When I was asked to write a blog about Anna, I wasn’t quite sure how to even start, but as I read the verse over a few times, I began to relate to her in a very personal way. I lost my husband seven years ago. Scripture tells us that Anna had been alone for 77 years. But, as a widow or a widower, are we really alone? No, we are not. Psalm 68:5 tells us just that. God is, “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”

I have talked with several people who have lost their spouses and it’s interesting that each one mentions that since the passing of their spouse, they have drawn closer to God. Is it possible that in our sorrow and trials God actually provides us with a blessing? I think so. God helps us understand that life is not over. God ALWAYS has a plan for us. It’s our responsibility to trust Him and wait on His timing.

Anna was the daughter of Phanuel, a godly man whose name meant “Face of God.” She was from the tribe of Asher. She appears to have been raised in a Godly home. Married for only seven years, she spent the rest of her life devoted to God in all she did.

I have learned two things in studying Anna and writing this blog. One, God provides us with the strength, courage and comfort we need to get us through the trials and challenges of this life. The more time I spend in prayer and fasting, the closer I draw to God; but I must also spend time listening to His response to my prayers. Second, not only must I spend time praying, fasting and listening to Him, but I must wait for His time for prayers to be answered and I must trust Him to answer my prayer in His way, not mine.

Anna was a woman devoted to prayer. She knew God was faithful and that the promise of a Savior would be fulfilled. I’m certain that, not only did she spend time in prayer, but she spent time listening, listening to the Holy Spirit’s soft whisper. Many times, when I pray, I find myself ending my prayer and then immediately throwing myself into whatever my plans are for the day. I don’t take time to listen, to listen to the soft whisper of the Holy Spirit, communicating back to me, providing me with words of strength, wisdom, and courage to face the day. I believe Anna not only spent time in prayer and fasting, but she also spent time listening. Listening to His words that drew her closer and closer to God.

Can you imagine how she must have felt when she first saw Jesus and held Him in her arms?! Here was the promised Messiah, the answer to the Scriptures, the Son of God sleeping in her arms! I don’t imagine there are any words to describe the joy she felt and the urgency to tell others that the Messiah had come. She knew the Messiah would come; she knew it would be in God’s time and she knew the minute she saw Him that He had arrived.

She rejoiced in the fact that Israel’s prayer for a Messiah had been answered and she immediately began to share the Good News. Sometimes we get so caught up in our worldly plans that we miss seeing prayers answered. Yes, we see the big ones, such as when a loved one is cured of cancer. But do we notice the small ones, the blessings God gives us each and every day? Do we share how those prayers have been answered and how wonderful our God is? I think Anna noticed all of God’s blessings, saw God all around her and shared God’s love with whomever she met.

My prayer for us is that we become more like Anna: That we spend more time in prayer, fasting and listening to God. That we take time to step away from our busy lives and look around at this beautiful creation. That we recognize, acknowledge, and give thanks for the blessings God showers upon us every day. That through our daily prayer time we draw closer and closer to God. In Scripture, Anna’s life story is but a few short verses, but she is an inspiration. Her story provides us with important lessons that give us an opportunity to have an amazing, lifelong relationship with our Lord and Savior.

Written by Carolyn Jo Gower, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (‭‭Rom. ‭12:12‬ ‭NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

My grandson, Noah, age three, was good at talking. But sometimes we’d have to ask, please repeat. Caroline at five months, was a happy chatterbox! We’d ask her, “How's your day going?” Her answer was jabbering with big smiles! Both expressed love!

Jesus can handle our prayers, even though we may feel lacking. Jesus gets it. When we pray (talk to Jesus), our love for Him shines through. He wants us to be real. He made us, He came to live among us, and now He lives to intercede for us.

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Heb. 7:25 ESV)

Jesus is praying for us! Prayer gets to the heart of God not that we’re worthy, we aren’t. Jesus is. He talks with the Father about us. He’s been here and knows what it’s like.

There’s no need for flowery words or memorized church prayers. Never just copy someone else’s prayer. You can use it as a prayer starter, but change it to speak from your own heart. Ever heard the expression, “Honesty is the BEST policy”? Truth be told, honesty is the ONLY policy. Talk to Jesus honestly first. He is our Counselor, Prince of Peace, Mighty God.

Being faithful in prayer means, “Keep on praying and don’t give up” (Luke 18:1 NIV).

Prayerfulness, or being faithful in prayer becomes a part of us as we read God’s Word and spend time with Jesus. For example, a few weeks ago, reading about John and his disciples in Matthew 14, I began to see something about prayer from a different angle.

John the baptizer was in prison for preaching repentance as he prepared the way for Jesus. He was doing everything correctly. But things weren’t looking good for John.

John’s disciples were praying for his rescue from Herod. But instead, Herod had him beheaded. His head was delivered on a platter to Herodias. John was murdered in an unspeakable manner. Talk about disappointment and hurt!

John had a huge following. He was a powerful man of God! We can’t begin to imagine the pain, fear, and anger his disciples must have felt!

They could’ve been thinking, “Now what are we to do, our leader is gone! Do we continue as John’s disciples? Is there even a ministry anymore?”

In Matthew 14:12, we read that after burying John’s body (note that John’s head was no longer with his body), his disciples went to Jesus and told him everything that had happened.

The only thing that made sense was to tell Jesus everything. That’s exactly what they did and some of the Gospels record that Jesus took John’s disciples with him, even to His own disciples.

Maybe prayer is not hard for us after all. Being faithful in prayer is going to Jesus first, moment by moment.

The way to move from prayerlessness into prayerfulness is to pray.

We are even commanded to be prayerful, …faithful in prayer (Rom.12:12) and pray continually… (1 Thes. 5:17). When we pray consistently, talking to Jesus becomes as natural as taking another breath.

Scripture tells us often that Jesus spent extended time alone in prayer with His Father.

Because of Christ, the great high priest (Heb. 4:14-16), God invites us to bring our needs to Him. “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (‭‭Heb. ‭4:16‬‬‬)‬‬‬‬.‬‬‬

God listens and when we call on Him, we’ll never get a response that ‘notifications are silenced’!

Just as we cherished the time talking with our grandchildren, Christ wants fellowship with all of His children.

Dear Iron Rose Sisters, do you feel comfortable going to Jesus, telling Him everything that has happened?

Written by Ana Alfaro, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in El Salvador

Daniel was a young man, a prince of Judah, taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon. His name was changed to Belteshazzar (Dan.1:7). Daniel, despite his youth, proved to be a determined young man with character and strong conviction. He maintained a consecrated life and constant prayer to God, which caused much jealousy and envy amongst those around him.

Daniel, studying the book of Jeremiah, learned that the destruction of Jerusalem was coming to an end (Dn. 1:2) and decided to fast, dressed in sackcloth and, sitting in ashes, pray to God.

Daniel came to God with pleas and prayers, confessing his sins and the sins of the people, thereby showing humility and shame for having disobeyed God and turned away from His commandments (Dn. 9:4-6). Iniquity, rebellion, disobedience, were sins that Judah and Jerusalem committed against God when they did not obey God's servants (the prophets).

“We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.”

Sin brings shame, pain and separation from the presence of God leaving us alone, sad and helpless… at the mercy of Satan. Daniel knew what God had done with his ancestors (Dan. 9:15). What He had done to him and the young men who were also taken prisoner (Dn. 3 and Dn. 6). Daniel had full confidence in God. That is why he said: Great God, worthy to be feared. Daniel acknowledged God's mercy, His justice, His faithfulness (Dn. 9:4,7 and 9); Daniel pled for God's mercy so that His wrath would not fall on Jerusalem (Dan. 9:16-19) .

“Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.””

Like Daniel, we must learn to know the qualities of God so that we can confidently come before Him knowing that, if we show true repentance, He will hear us, forgive us, and restore us. “If we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and righteous, will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9). God's response to Daniel was prompt, it did not take long.

While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision.” (Dn. 9:20-23)

Daniel's faithful prayer allowed God to answer him quickly. God continues to listen to the fervent prayers of His children when He is loved and sought with all our hearts; however, it should not be forgotten that any transgression of His word has a consequence. We must trust in His love, His mercy, His faithfulness, when we have sinned and approach Him with an attitude of humility, confessing the sin or sins that we commit.

Like Daniel, we must remain determined to continue praying to God; live a life of continuous prayer, trust in His mercies, and love Him. We will be heard in the hour of our tribulation, receiving an answer to our plea within God’s will.

May God bless you and allow us to continue learning more from His Word every day.

Written by Katie Forbess, IRSM Board President

February is Prayer Month for IRSM and has been for the last eight years. One of the greatest examples in my life of fervent prayer is Iron Rose Sister Ministries itself. Our mission to equip women to grow closer to God and one another more deeply was an answer to the desire of my heart. At a time when I thought that I was crying out to God and He wasn’t listening, He was putting things in motion that I could never imagine.

When my heart was broken, leaving Bolivia to return to the states, I had many ideas and thoughts. In my original plan about how I wanted to help women grow closer to God and one another, it was for the state of Arkansas. IRSM is international in our reach, and this year, we have added a third language: Portuguese!

I think one of the amazing gifts of fervent prayer is that it transforms us when we open our hearts and say with purpose and with power—the power of God—what we need and what we want.

God knew when I walked across the stage at a World Mission Workshop that I wanted to dedicate my life to Him. I wanted to be a missionary in a foreign land. He knew what that meant, and He knew more even than I did why. My spirit was talking to His Spirit. That was a fervent prayer. I didn’t know how God was going to answer that.

God is listening. He is listening to our fervent prayer, just as when a baby cries and everyone must listen to hear the tone of the cry. Or the child that repeats over and over again, “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy,” until you have to say something. You have to answer. Someone has to answer. In the same way that a teenager does little things to get your attention and if you are paying attention, you totally see them, especially if it’s your nephew or your son. You know! Those are fervent pleas and that’s what we do with God. When we do it transparently, we grow, and we change, and we know that God sees the desires of our hearts.

This year we are studying Our Story and it’s only making me look back and think more and more about how my prayer life has been changed through praying for IRSM. Everything from the inception and the deciding 501c3 vs for profit to last week deciding the theme for something or a computer program that we need to use because we are growing, and we need to be able to communicate effectively within the organization and outside the organization. There are so many ways that I know that God is hearing our cries.

I have called myself a glorified cheerleader but maybe I should change that to a glorified fervent prayer warrior because sometimes when I can’t do all the other things that I want to do for Iron Rose Sister Ministries, what I can do is pray.

And that prayer can be for anything. It can be for a sister I don’t know in another country. It can be for Michelle for many different reasons. It can be for any of the team members, the board members, for a project we are starting, or for a conference we have. The prayers are unlimited, and the importance of those prayers is that they are fervent and that I believe that there is power behind them.

God wants our passion. Hannah showed so much passion that Eli thought that she was drunk (1 Sam. 1:13). Passionate may be a good word for me since I have been described as “a little extra” in my life. A little extra for people who can't take me the right way. They don’t understand me or think I’m a little much. I have learned how to handle that better, but God wants me to be to be “a little extra.” God can handle it, especially in prayer!

With Job, the beautiful talk between God and Job when God says, “Well, hey dude, but remember who you are,” God never says, “I don’t want to hear you.” He never says—now He does say be quiet—but He never says, “I don’t want to hear you, I don’t care about what you're saying, I don’t want you to share your thoughts with me.” But He does say, “Hey dude, I want to remind you who I am.” And that is what happens through fervent prayer: you spill out your passion and your thoughts and your feelings and your everything else, and then you remember who you are praying to, and you say, oh, yeah, “He’s God…” And it puts everything in perspective.

I want to leave you with one last thought: I can only pray fervently to and be passionate about a God that I know and love. That’s another thing that that fervent prayer does. It brings my first love to mind, and it reminds me what is actually important and what is actually going to be powerful and Who will make things happen.

Finally, when it comes to fervent prayer, Hannah is a beautiful example. I could have talked about my own example of miscarriage, but the thing that I think is most effective is to tell you about how prayer is an integral part of Iron Rose Sister Ministries, Ministerio Hermana Rosa de Hierro and the Portuguese version that I may or may not be able to pronounce. We all want and need fervent prayer. This ministry is not based solely on my fervent prayers. I am one piece of a team of a multitude of people who have prayed and wanted and needed IRSM before it even began and have carried IRSM through their own passion and their own fervent prayers. Thank you for being a part of that! God is listening.

Written by Tiffany Jacox, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Nebraska

When I was first approached with the opportunity to share about the beautiful story of Hannah, I was a little intimidated. I wasn’t sure it was something I could relate to well enough that I could adequately tell her story. I imagine God gave a big grin and said let me show you.

As I thought about this task before me and thought about Hannah, her faith, and her persistence, I stopped, and I prayed. When I finished praying, I grabbed my Bible and I opened it up. My Bible opened right up to 1 Samuel. It lay there as if it were open and smiling with God saying, share My word. Hannah was an amazing woman in the Bible, a woman of amazing faith and strength. Her story is one of torment, pain, waiting, and promise.

Hannah was married to Elkanah who was also married to Peninnah. Peninnah had children and Hannah had none. Hannah deeply desired children. Elkanah loved Hannah and when he went to make the annual sacrifices he made a double-portion sacrifice for her. Now Peninnah would provoke Hannah and torment her for being childless. This would upset Hannah and she wouldn’t sleep or eat. Her husband, Elkanah, didn’t understand this because he believed that he was good to her and thought that should be enough. Doesn’t this sound like some of us in life sometimes? Men and women? We sure are different, aren’t we?

Hannah finally got some sleep and ate some food and then rose up and went to the temple. She prayed. She prayed HARD! She prayed and she wept bitterly. She made a vow with the Lord and asked if He gave her a son, she would give him to the Lord all the days of his life and a razor will never come to his head.

Now she was in intense prayer here. Have you ever been in intense prayer with the Lord? Maybe during a very difficult time in your life or the life of a friend or loved one? Think about when Jesus was praying in the garden and He had sweat on His head like drops of blood in Luke 22:44.

Hannah was praying hard, and she was crying and talking to God and meanwhile Eli, the priest, was standing at the doorway watching this. She was talking with God and her lips were moving but no sound was coming out. Eli asked her if she was drunk and she responded, “I am not drunk! I am oppressed in spirit and have poured my heart out to the Lord.”

Hannah showed us her full faith in the Lord and laid down her burdens at His feet in prayer. Eli told her to go in peace and may God grant her petition. Hannah was no longer sad. Our burden is light when we rely on the Lord.

The Lord remembered Hannah and she conceived a son. She named him Samuel because she asked him from the Lord. Hannah did not make the journey for the annual sacrifice the following year, waiting until the child was weaned because of the promise she made to the Lord. Once the child was weaned, she took him to the temple and gave thanks to the Lord and they worshipped the Lord. She kept her promise, just as God had kept His.

Hannah endured very difficult times, but she leaned on the Lord and she went to Him in prayer. She relied on God to provide. She was patient. She was remembered and rewarded. I will admit I need to work on my prayer life; it does not look like Hannah’s. How does your life look like Hannah’s? Are you fervent in prayer like Hannah? Has a prayer been answered after a long wait? Or like me, do you realize you need to work on your faithful devotion to prayer?

written by Michelle J. Goff

At a birthday party, it came time to serve the cake.
A little boy named Brian blurted out, “I want the biggest piece!”
His mother quickly scolded him.
“Brian, it’s not polite to ask for the biggest piece.”
The little guy looked at her in confusion, and asked,
“Well then, how do you get it?”

We often want to fix someone else’s problem, to take away her pain, or even request the biggest piece of cake on her behalf, but many times the only thing we can do is the best thing we can do: pray. When we let someone know we are praying for them, we affirm three significant truths. These three affirmations of support are, “You are loved. You are prayed for. And you are not alone.”

Satan wants to isolate us. Single and single-again women often are already feeling isolated, ostracized, and alienated. The encouragement and support we can offer one another through prayer are key to feeling heard, valued, and included.

Paul mentions throughout the epistles the strength he gleans from the prayers of others. And his constant prayers for the ones to whom he writes are an evidence of his love for them and the joy with which he remembers them in his prayers (Phil. 1:3-11).

One of my favorite prayers of Paul’s is especially appropriate to be prayed over each other as single women. The truths in Ephesians 3:14-21 speak light into the darkness and power into the weakness. I encourage you to insert a single woman’s name into the prayer as you intercede on her behalf. (I have given you a sample below using my own name.)

 For this reason [out of love for my single friend], I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen [Michelle] with power through His Spirit in [her] inner being, so that Christ may dwell in [Michelle’s] heart through faith. And I pray that [Michelle], being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that [Michelle] may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Eph. 3:14-21, NIV, adapted)

Sometimes it can be easier to pray for others than for yourself. If you need to read this prayer to yourself first, inserting your own name, go ahead! Aren’t those powerful words? Yes, God loves YOU that much!

While Paul’s examples of prayer are beautiful, the best examples of prayer come from Christ Himself. Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Matt. 6:5-15) and invited them to pray with Him (Luke 9:28). Jesus asked for prayers from His disciples on His behalf (Matt. 26:36-40) and He prayed on their behalf (John 17). In order to keep His focus and maintain His relationship with His Father, Jesus would often take some time away from others and pray (Matt. 14:23; Luke 5:16). On at least one occasion, He spent all night in prayer (Luke 6:12).

And why did Jesus pray on all these occasions? His one single reason: Love—for His Father and for every single one of us.

Drawing from Jesus’ and Paul’s examples, what are some of the benefits and blessings of prayer?

Secondly, what about prayer is supportive of others?

Prayer is fellowship. Prayer connects us with God and with one another on a deeper level than any other form of communication. There is a powerful, humbling vulnerability when we go to God on someone else’s behalf or when we pray together aloud. When you express to someone that you are petitioning God on her behalf, she feels cared for and seen. You are standing in the gap for her with intentionality and sincerity (Rom 15:30).

Bonnie remembers exactly where she was standing when the preacher told her that he stands with her in the gap, that he goes before the throne of God on her behalf. He has reminded her of that truth on other occasions, as well. As a single woman, never married, in her late 30’s, when Bonnie struggles with feelings of loneliness, she remembers the preacher’s prayerful blessing and knows she is not alone.

We do not need to be preachers to stand in the gap with others and partner in prayer with them. Prayer is communion with God and with one another. Who can you fellowship with in prayer today?

Prayer maintains our focus. Whether we are asking for wisdom (James 1:5) or patience in affliction (Rom. 12:12), we can be faithful in prayer bringing others and ourselves before God (1 Tim. 2:1; 2 Tim. 1:3). When we look to Him, He fills us with faith, love, hope, strength, and the same power that raised His Son from the dead (Eph. 1:15-20)!

One single sister, in the context of a Bible study small group, shared, “When a sister in Christ asks me about something specific that we have prayed about together in the past, I am so encouraged. It shows me that I am important enough to her and to God for her to bring my request before our Heavenly Father. It also reminds me that God is the one who can truly make a difference in that situation. Instead of stressing about it, it reminds me to ask myself if I have prayed about it.”

Prayer provides deep connection through shared burdens. Liliana loves to tell other single women about the depth of relationship formed with her prayer partners as they pray over their shared struggles together, as single women.

Katie F., echoing the sentiments of James 5:13-18, says, “I’ve never regretted pausing to pray for someone in the moment. Sometimes it is a silent prayer. And sometimes I stop in the middle of wherever we are and say a prayer for her, out loud, for her to hear the burden that is now shared being lifted to God. Yeah, I have never regretted it.”

Prayer gives it all over to God. The prayer of the persistent widow in Luke 18 demonstrates that it is most important to go to the one who has the power to do something about your circumstances. We cannot handle it on our own and should not even try.

I love how many people partnered in prayer with one single mom, all striving together to give the situation over to God along every challenging step of the way.

Two years earlier, when entering that same courtroom for the first time, the room felt large and everything loomed, including the anticipation of the rulings to be made. Burdened by the effects of sin not her own, she was reaping the consequences of her ex-husband’s decisions. However, on the day of the custody trial, the room felt softer, smaller, even cozy. The difference? The cloud of witnesses that filled the courtroom.

Among those witnesses were the dozen or so who were sworn in before the judge. The forty plus people who trickled in and out during the nine-hour trial were prayer warriors and witnesses to God’s faithfulness. The final group among the cloud of witnesses were the angels fighting in the spiritual battle and softening the cold, daunting nature of the proceedings.

God was glorified. And the greater testimony given for the judge, attorneys, bailiff, and others was not related specifically to the case, but rather to the testimony of how many of her Christian family showed up in physical presence compared to the void of people on his side of the courtroom. The one who showed up big-time, and even showed off, was God who received all the honor and praise for what happened that day.

For a single mom whose life had been turned upside down, she felt affirmed repeatedly that she was never alone. The physical presence of the witnesses... The thousands of prayers being lifted up on her behalf and on behalf of her daughter—even the prayers for her ex-husband to repent… The encouraging messages sent through the private Facebook group in which she sent updates with more specific prayer requests and expressions of praise and thankfulness... Love for God and love for a broken family was the cloud of witnesses' one single reason to show up that day.

This testimony of support is one small example of the power of prayer and the strength of its encouragement to a single or single-again woman (2 Cor. 1:11).

How have you been supported through prayer as a single woman? And how can you offer that prayerful support to others?

Written by Michelle J. Goff, Director of Iron Rose Sister Ministries

February is Iron Rose Sister Ministries’ Prayer Month. We invite you to pray with us daily, following our prayer prompts and reading the Bible verses. The Prayer Calendar and instructions are available for download. Each year, we also join as one voice for a 24-hour Prayer-a-thon on the 24th.

This year, an additional facet of what we are celebrating during the first week of our Prayer Month are the prayers of single and single-again women.

Taken from One Single Reason: Conversations with Single Women, page 193:

“Anna, a widow in the temple after only seven years of marriage, chose to live a life of gratefulness and service to God. Her words of thanksgiving were expressed as worshipful praise, fasting and praying. God honored Anna with the blessing of meeting the Christ child before the end of her life (Luke 2:37-38). Imagine her words of thanksgiving!

Songs and psalms of praise can be helpful when we don’t have the words to express thanksgiving in the moment. Many of the psalms start with a frustration or a lament, but then end in words of praise. When we take things to God, no matter how we are feeling or what we are thinking, He is able to put things in perspective. In the same way the persistent widow sought justice before the judge in Luke 18, we know that when we go to God in prayer, we are presenting our requests to the one who has the power to do something about it. God is not afraid of our emotions, our frustrations, even our anger. He gave us those feelings and can guide us to know what to do with them.”

Miriam, another single woman in the Bible, expressed her feelings through prayerful, worshipful song, and led other women in that spirit of celebration, after crossing the Red Sea.

Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them:
“Sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.” (Ex. 15:20-21)

Hagar, who later became a single mom (Gen. 21), lifted a cry of prayer to God before the birth of her son, Ishmael.

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” (Gen. 16:13)

Who are some of the other single women of the Bible whose prayers we hear in Scripture?