'The Pray Better Devotional' by Maltese is a practical guide with weeks of devotional readings and prayers, aimed at helping readers deepen their prayer life.

The Pray Better Devotional is a comforting book that offers women brief, daily readings to create calm. It is ideal for a morning coffee break. Recommended for gift giving.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.

This book caught my attention because I like studying prayer and learning more about it. However, this devotional proved to be shallow and insubstantial in the very area in which I expected it to be deep and rich with solid content.

It assumed that the reader wouldn’t thank people because of their “age, creed, color, nationality, and political party” and that the reader wouldn’t “utter another ‘thank you’ to God” for the food a waiter brought to them. Both seemed rude assumptions to make about people. In my experience of traveling through 48 of 50 U.S. states, I found that the vast majority of people of all races, creeds, etc. were generally polite, including “thank-yous,” and I have no doubt that most devout Christians thank God for their food whether they are at home or at a restaurant.

The Message and Amplified versions of the Bible were used more than any other even though the author herself claimed, “Interestingly, The Message translates these verses differently than all the other versions of the Bible.” That is not a good thing! The loosest of translations, it often adds words and meanings that are not supported by any other English translation of God’s Holy Word. I kept having to look up the Bible verses in another more reliable translation to be sure I understood what was really being said in the verse before moving on to the “meat” of the devotional entry. For example, Psalm 100 doesn’t talk about a “password” to enter into God’s pasture, but The Message’s translation says there is a password required.

“For [God] is both a tender mother and a strong father to you.” No, God is not a mother at all. Nowhere in the Bible is He described as such. He has compassion and comfort toward us, but this does not make Him feminine.

There was a random Scottish term in “ken,” instead of the American English term “knowledge.” This felt very out of place. I hope it got fixed before this book was published (my copy was an electronic ARC).

“There could be a thousand reasons to ignore God’s voice.” In my experience, there are only excuses, not reasons, for such a thing. And millions of reasons for tuning into His voice.

“Jesus, the Man with the plan.” Similar to “the Man upstairs,” this phrasing felt disrespectful for such a holy, incomparable God.

“God’s words of wisdom (aka WOWs).” This rubbed me the wrong way, but it could just be my irritation at having so many unnecessary acronyms pop up all over the place in the last 15 or so years.

“And you can rest assured your loving Father God will take away all the troubles weighing you down.” I’m not sure where in the Bible God promised to remove all troubles from us when we trust Him. In fact, Jesus promised we would be persecuted, a tried and tested people. The millions of martyrs that have died for their faith in God are proof enough for me that not all earthly troubles will be removed when our lives are lived fully for God.

I was not at all sure what “arrow prayers” were until I researched them. Apparently, they are mainly taught in the Catholic church. They are definitely not mentioned in the Bible. So this sort of teaching felt odd to me. From my personal experience, God has answered prayers as short as “God, help me!” and as lengthy as about five essays crammed together. So the arrow-prayers theory seems untrue for me.

The “prayer maps” were more like journal entry spaces. I didn’t see anything map-like about them.

There were some really good points made in made of the entries. I’m sure this devotional will be helpful for some readers who are earlier in their prayer journey than I. It is my hope that other readers get a lot more good stuff out of this devotional than I was able to do.

I have enjoyed reading this pray better devotional. Devotions for daily living and so much to help you in your walk with the Lord. Great read!

I really like this devotional. It’s set up nicely, with 28 weeks of devotionals that include a Bible verse, a devotional, and a prayer, and then at the end of each week there are journal prompts; all of this comes together in the devotional to help you better focus your prayer time. The layout and artwork in the book are also nicely done. I prefer devotionals that have some sort of design element in them, as it’s calming and helps me to relax/wind-down prior to prayer. I have her other devotional, Worry Less, Pray More, and I liked it a lot, so I thought I would give this one a try. I love that the devotionals are short and to the point, since I often find myself wanting to read a quick devotional when I’m short on time, but would like to spend time with God. The only part of the devotional that was a little odd to me was the Bible version she used; I wasn’t familiar with it, but I still really like the book and will continue to use it.

Very Nice With Space For Journaling!

Each weekday you are given a scripture verse, a short devotional and a prayer. At the end of every week there was space to journal with prompts laid out in prayer form. I like the layout and the graphics are cute and there is plenty of room to add your own side notes

This would make a great gift for any occasion, birthday, Christmas or even Easter!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

I really liked the layout of this devotional. It was nice to have prompts to keep my prayers organized. Part prayer log/part journal, this is a nice way to keep track of Gods blessings and interventions in your own story.
I didn’t like the different versions of the Bible used with each day.

Right off the bat, this book quotes verses from The Message, which is a paraphrase, not a translation I'd use for study or quoting regularly. Then the author goes on to use Jeremiah 29:11 for personal application to everyone (when it was for a specific person and specific time period). So I don't recommend this book, but you *can* get something out of it if you know Scripture well enough. However, many people don't (I certainly don't know everything) and therefore I'd use caution.

The Pray Better Devotional
Meditations for Women Plus Bonus Prayer Maps!
by Donna K. Maltese
Pub Date 01 Mar 2023 | Archive Date 01 Apr 2023
Barbour Publishing, Barbour Books
Christian | Nonfiction (Adult) | Religion & Spirituality


I am reviewing a copy of The Pray Better Devotional through Barbour Publishing and Netgalley:



If you are looking for a Devotional that will help you to pray better, then I highly recommend The Pray Better Devotional:


In this book Donna K.Maltese will guide you through 28 weeks of devotional readings and prayers plus the creation of weekly prayer maps to help you better focus your daily prayer time. This book includes themes such as Trusting God, Being Persistent in Prayer, and Experiencing the Power of Prayer. In this book you will be encouraged to spend regular time in the heavenly Father's presence and share what’s on your heart as you build a healthy spiritual habit of continual prayer for life!


I give The Prayer Better Devotional five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Inspirational and highly recommended devotion book for women. A prayer map is included and twenty-eight weeks of Bible verses, devotional readings, and prayers.

This prayer devotional would serve as a great gift for someone who is aiming to build a better relationship with God, who is trying to get into the habit of writing more, or who is wanting to practice gratitude. 28 weeks of prayer and connection is a great way to get into the habit of being mindful of God’s expectations as well as being able to self-reflect. As an educator, I can’t incorporate this in my curriculum for all my students, but I would definitely recommend it for those who are seeking a relationship with God or who want to strengthen it. Since it is a digital version, I wish there was a way to write on it from the app instead of on my own paper or journal, but for someone who enjoys making journaling their own, this could be a template they can use daily. The payer map is a fun way to keep track of how our lives have changed.

One star
I did not finish this book. I did not like the Bible version she used or the tome in some of the devotions.

The Pray Better Devotional
Meditations for Women Plus Bonus Prayer Maps!
by Donna K. Maltese
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Series: None
Rated:
Obtain:
Back of the Book: “Pray Better Today.
Encouragement and inspiration for purposeful, more focused prayer is right here!

Practical and inspiring, The Pray Better Devotional will guide you through 28 weeks of devotional readings and prayers plus the creation of weekly prayer maps to help you better focus your daily prayer time. With prayer-related themes like TRUSTING GOD, BEING PERSISTENT IN PRAYER, and EXPERIENCING THE POWER OF PRAYER, you will be encouraged to spend regular time in the heavenly Father's presence and share what’s on your heart. . .as you build a healthy spiritual habit of continual prayer for life!”
Impressions: When choosing a devotional, I’m looking for something that will provide me with insight or depth to my faith. I did not find this book to be either, but I also wouldn’t throw it out completely. I think that for a young adult who is new to the idea of prayer this might be appropriate. The daily readings were very bite size and light. They did not have great depth to them, but they did cover the foundation of the importance of prayer. I think an added section to the day with a clear take away or application to life would have been helpful. The ‘bonus’ prayer map included was very generic. I also felt the titles of the daily readings unnecessarily confusing. The book was not meant to unveil secrets as the some of the titles suggested. I would have much preferred, ‘Why pray’ or ‘Where to pray’ rather than ‘The Secret of Why’ or ‘The Secret of Where.’ Overall, I think this was an ok devotional, perhaps for a younger person who is looking for a starting ground on prayer.

I received an ARC of this book via the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here. For more book reviews go to: https://thebluestockingbooknook.wordpress.com

Truly Inspiring

This is an amazing twenty-eight week devotional journal. Each daily reading starts with a prayer and a gratitude section. Additionally, there are sections for casting your cares, playing for others, and just talking to God about things going on in your life. So amazing to have a journal with these sections provided.

Each of the twenty-eight weeks have a specific topic, ranging from care casting, Aow Power, Persistence in Prayer, Jesus’ Prayer Perspective and Practices, to Divine Dreams and Dreamers, God the sure foundation, the word trust, meanwhile prayer, and many other topics.

I truly love this book. I only wish it had been published for purchase of hard copy prior to January, 2023. I will be a nice devotional journal to begin the new year.

Plus, it makes a fantastic gift. Highly recommend.

#ThePrayBetterDevotional #NetGalley

This book, has 28 weeks, of devotionals on how to have a better prayer life. The author also, created what she calls prayer maps, so you can see which direction your prayers are taking. The book, includes scriptures, from various Bibles, which gives you different perspectives, in thoughts and to see a different view on how to pray.

Book review for The Pray Better Devotional by Donna K Maltese
I received a free copy from the author, publisher and NetGalley for a honest review. I really enjoyed the scripters and prays. There are 28 weeks, Monday to Friday with 2 pages at the end on Friday to write what you are thankful for, what worries you, and people you are praying for. There is more I just don't want to spoil it for you. I like that there is a scripture Index at the back of the book. This is a great book for your-self or study group. I would have liked to have pages to write thoughts after each day of the week instead of being at the end of the week. Still I give this devotional book 4 stars. I will recommend this to my church.

I enjoyed this devotional. I liked the prayer maps, that was new to me but I plan to use that in my Bible study. There's 28 weeks prompts and prayers. It was a light hearted devotional. Not too deep. Definitely recommend 5his to anyone who needs a spiritual boost to their studies. #thepraybetterdevotional

I received a free copy of, The Pray Better Devotional, by Donna K. Maltese, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book has 28 weeks worth of scripture, readings and prayers, to help you start out, or continue to grow your pray life. I thoroughly enjoyed this devotional. I got a lot of useful information from it.

This one it's beautiful and I think will be a very good journal too since it does have a page per week that let you give thanks, write your worries, what's happening in life: that part was so awesome, the you have the daily and weekly read so you can go ahead and reflect on the themes it gives you per day.

It will give you a few scriptures quotes and a little text to help you get the meaning of it, so it's a beautiful gift too if you have anyone on your family that prays daily or wanted to pray a little more.

Totally recommended for spiritual people that would want to have a little extra on their prayers .

I have found myself struggling with my prayer life lately. My prayers feel repetitive at times and I felt like I was in a rut. This devotional helped me so much. I love that each week has a place to record what you want to pray for., kinda like little prompts. I also like that there was a mini devotional for each day. Very inspirational.