Praying Through Hard Times is an easy to read book. It was best read in small chunks to be absorbed. It is Scripture-based prayers, praise and worship, and confessions to be used when faced with our daily trials of life. It is a guide to recieve God's grace in times of need. This book is written from the author's own experiences which makes it more readable and understandable. It is a book to be used as a resource and frequent source of prayer.

I received this book from the Book Club Network in exchange for my honest opinion.

We have all been there one minute our lives are rosy an cheerful - then a tragedy happens and we feel like our lives are falling apart.

Praying Through Hard Times by Linda Evans Shepard will help you get through the tough times in life. Pulling from her own personal experiences, Linda helps you see that God is always with you, even when it feels like he is not there. She shows you how to open your heart and allow God in and how to draw strength from God during trials.

Chapters include When Difficult Times Come, Giving Your Troubles to God, Find Real Joy and so much more. Each chapter ends with a prayer experience based on the chapter.

The book concludes with a Bible Study and Discussion Guide that can be used in Bible study groups. Linda has also created videos for each chapter at www.IgniteMyFaith.com.



I did receive a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review Title: When Words are Hard to Find, This Book Will Help (review of Praying through Hard Times by Linda Evans Shepherd)

Reviewer: Janice S. Garey

*****5 Stars

This book reaches into your life like a helping hand when a flash flood enters and tries to sweep you away. It is based on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. It will help a person recognize God's presence in their life, expecially during the waiting times when many feel like giving up on God. Linda Evans Shepherd gets personal with the reader as she relates her disappointments and hurts and shares how God managed to give her a change of attitude if not circumstances. She relates how what seemed to be horrible treatment by certain insensitive people hurt her feelings greatly, yet over time she recognized that if those things had not happened that she never would have discovered the special calling to a writing and speaking ministry.

I am thankful to have Praying through Hard Times for its hopeful message that prayer does make a tremendous difference. It is a wonderful resource to use when words escape the thought process because a problem seems so over-whelming. That can be for yourself or for someone else who asks you to pray for them. I do a lot of prayer intercession myself, and this book is a help for me to see more clearly ways I can pray. It is a good book for those who are newly learning about praying. They will advance much faster in the maturity of their prayer life with this book as a guide.

The cover of the book is beautiful as it reminds of God being the creator of all things good. He gives His children good gifts, and I consider Praying through Hard Times to be one of His excellent gifts communicated through the talents of Linda Evans Shepherd. I have already thought of several people who are in the middle of waiting for prayers to be answered who could benefit greatly from the wisdom and prayers in this book.

I received this book from bookfun.org in exchange for my honest review after reading it. The book is a treasure to use as a resource as needs arise. Many who are looking to go deeper in their prayer life will benefit from reading Praying through Hard Times.

Linda Evans Shepherd is a woman of prayer, a beloved daughter of God. She, like many Christians, has endured severe crises that could have crushed her had she struggled through them on her own. In Praying through Hard Times, Linda shares not only crises in her lives and the lives of other Christians, she also shares a proven, Scripture-based help that she and countless others have tried. It isn't easy, fun, or even what we feel capable of trying when life is difficult. It isn't a methodical list of tasks that, when checked off, removes the challenge(s) from our lives and resolves every hurtful situation as we want it to be. Rather, it is an encouragement to draw nearer to the heart of God and seek His healing, His will, and His life.

This is an outstanding book!! Praying through Hard Times is a valuable book with easy to read, proven, Scripture-based prayers, confessions, praise and worship to keep handy, read, and re-read through the challenges of life. The truth is there in the pages of Scripture — God longs for each of us to bring our troubles to Him, to confess our sins, and to praise and worship Him in the storms. This outstanding guide has shown this reader new ways to receive God's grace and help in time of need.

Linda Evans Shepherd's writing style is that of one Christian sister to another. She is willing to pull the covers off of her own life in such a way as to invite the reader to be willing to uncover their own attitudes or mindsets that need to be changed through the power of prayer.

Each chapter includes Bible-based prayers, truths about our Lord that He would have us to know, a Trip to the Oasis — prayers and praises through the Psalms applicable to the chapter subject, and a specific Prayer Experience to draw closer to the heart of God applicable to the situation. There are links to on-line teachings related to each chapter. At the end of the book is a study that includes questions for each chapter in which one can enter into alone or with a Bible study group. I am so very thankful and blessed that the Lord has gifted us with this invitation to come closer to Him through Linda Evans Shepherd, and I believe that you will be, also.

I received a copy of this book through the "For Readers Only" group at The Book Club Network, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

Praying Through the Hard Times is a wonderful "go to" book for prayer guidance and instruction. It is a great study resource as well as it incorporates a discussion guide and bible study. With short videos that correspond to each chapter, Praying Through The Hard Times gives the reader a thought provoking visual lesson. Through stories (sometimes absolutely hilarious, other times, hair raising scary), Ms. Shepherd teaches that although life can be difficult, Christians have an open door to God. Through prayer and understanding God's presence, He makes all things bearable.

I began marking places within the book that I found especially good and ended up marking three quarters of the entire book! Each chapter offered lessons on how to handle tough areas of life. One of the best parts of the book, is that Ms. Shepherd teaches practical ways of not only surviving difficult areas but how to breakthrough and overcome those hindrances which prevent believers from moving to the next level.

In sharing her own life stories and the challenges she has faced with her daughter's disabilities, Ms. Shepherd shows that prayer does matter even when the prayers aren't answered in the way we thought they should be. She shows how accepting God on His terms and seeing the beautiful things He brings from the ashes of disappointment and sorrow build a deeper faith.

One of my favorite stories is about a bat that gets caught in the building where the women are worshipping and how God shows Ms. Shepherd a lesson in spiritual warfare in the crazy unexpected event. She says, "Here's what I learned from this experience: just because you walk with God doesn't mean circumstances will never drive you batty. But the key is to focus more deeply on God." She goes on to talk about the consequences of not focusing on God.

Praying Through the Hard Times is a great read and one that I would recommend. The book and its teaching are helpful in showing how to handle the hard times when they come and how to prevent additional heartache before they come.

I received this book from the Book Club Network in exchange for my honest opinion.