Deepen Your Prayer Life with On Bended Knee by Crickett Keeth (Win a Copy!)
You know how it feels to meet someone for the first time but instead of the awkward pause, you settle in quickly, like they’re a long lost friend?
Crickett Keeth is one of those people for me. We first “met” on the Facebook Blue Ridge Bible Study Writers page several years ago. From the get-go, I think we both knew we’d discovered a peep for life. We’ve prayed for each other and cheered one another on with all the sis-boom-bah we could muster.
Here’s one thing I know: when Crickett says she’s praying for me, she is⏤there’s no well intentioned fluff here. She’s on the battle lines for women around the world, those in her church, and the participants of her NEW release, “On Bended Knee: Praying Like Prophets, Warriors, and Kings” by Moody Publishers. Notice I didn’t say, readers. In this 8-week study, participants are encouraged to engage with the Word and the questions along the way. The goal isn’t to form a perfect answer, but to allow God to use those questions to probe our hearts and deepen our prayer life.
So without further ado, it’s an honor to introduce you to Crickett.
Welcome, Crickett! So tell us, how did you get started writing Bible studies?
I led a small group when I lived in Dallas, and we used a number of popular Bible studies on the market. I would add questions to help facilitate discussion and get them to think deeper about the passage. One summer, they challenged me to write our next Bible study. As I prayed about it, I felt God was leading me to say yes. So, I wrote that first Bible study on the characters in Hebrews 11 found in the Book of Genesis. I loved writing it and knew I wanted to continue. And twenty years later, I’m still writing Bible studies!
Why did you choose to write a study on prayer?
I actually wrote this Bible study several years ago for the Women’s Ministry at my church. At that time, my life was out-of-control busy, and my time with the Lord was becoming more of a ritual than a relationship. Yes, I still had quiet times, and I was praying. But I felt like my prayers were rushed and missing something. I was just going through the motions, but not enjoying that intimate time alone with God in prayer. So, I cried out to God one day, asking Him to change my prayer life and bring me back to that sweet intimacy with Him through prayer that I had previously experienced. He led me to begin looking at prayers in the Bible, and that’s how this study was born.
Can you tell us a little more about the study and what we can expect?
On Bended Knee is an eight-week study looking at the prayers of eight men and women in the Bible. Each week is divided into five days, and each day has four parts. Looking to God’s Word directs us to the Scripture for that day, guiding us through observation and interpretation questions. Looking Upward challenges us to wrestle with thought-provoking questions and promotes rich group discussion. Looking Deeper encourages us to look at additional passages that will deepen our study. Looking Reflectively focuses on application and reflection of the lesson.
I don’t give a lot of commentary before and after each question because I want to guide you into discovering what God’s Word is saying instead of telling you the answers. I don’t want it to feel like you’re reading a book, but that you’re digging deeper into God’s Word as I guide you. However, some of the questions are challenging and make us wrestle with the answers. So, there is a Leaders’ Guide at the back of the book to walk you through those more challenging questions.
Which prayers do you highlight, and why did you choose those prayers?
We look at the prayers of Jesus, Paul, Job, Hannah, David, Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Nehemiah. I chose the prayers that I continually go to in my life situations—prayers that have helped me when I couldn’t express what was in my heart. There are many more prayers in the Bible we could have studied, and I wish I could have written on all of them. Maybe that will be a Part 2.
As I “listened in” on the prayers of these men and women, I wanted to look at the heart behind the prayer. What motivated them to pray? How did they approach God? How did God answer? How did their relationship with God deepen as a result of their prayers?
Who is this study for, and how will it impact their lives?
On Bended Knee is for anyone who wants to go deeper in their relationship with God through prayer. If you’re dissatisfied with your prayer life, wanting to be more consistent in prayer, or looking to deepen your intimacy with God, then this Bible study was written for you.
Where can we find this study?
It’s available now on Amazon, Moody, Barnes and Noble, and Christianbook.com
Crickett Keeth is the Women’s Ministry Director at First Evangelical Church in Memphis, Tennessee, where she writes and teaches the women’s Bible studies. She is the author of The Gift of Rest, Sumatra with the Seven Churches (co-authored with Sandra Glahn), and her newly released study from Moody, On Bended Knee. Crickett was on staff with Cru for ten years and is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. In addition to teaching regularly at her own church, she also speaks at women’s conferences and retreats. Learn more at www.crickettkeeth.com.
Thank you, Crickett, for taking time for this interview, and for offering a free copy of this much-needed study to one blessed reader of mine.
Before you go, is there some way Crickett and I can pray for you today? Share your request in the comment section, or email me privately using the icon in the sidebar, if you like.
To enter the giveaway, share who you’ve recently met that feels more like a long lost friend.
