I didn’t realize I’d never done a study on the stories of women in the Bible until I heard about this book.
Maybe we don’t talk about this enough, but women rock. The Bible thinks so too. Seriously. No one dignifies women more than the plan of God, and it’s an absolute joy to realize that the Bible is full of incredible women who made a difference. Some of the most awe-inspiring stories in the gospels are tied to a woman –
The woman at the well had the longest recorded conversation with Jesus.
Mary of Bethany was the one to anoint Jesus with costly oil before his death and burial.
Mary Magdalene believed first that Jesus had risen and was tasked to tell the disciples about it.
Just to name a few.
Author Rachael Groll described these as women of authority, testimony, forgiveness, assertiveness, discipleship, and response. Women of God who listened for Him and served him exactly as they uniquely were. Although in the cultural context of the Bible’s stories these women would have been disqualified and overlooked, the plan of God is completely different.
He qualifies them. He sees them. And He’s set on using the least likely of our society to manifest His glory on earth.
She Hears… so what’s this about?
She Hears by Rachael Groll is a wonderful Bible study and journal that peeks into the stories of women in the gospels that Jesus directly interacted with. Each week focuses on one passage, and readers are led through a journey of interactive study. Spanning across 6 weeks, this book is a slow and thoughtful walk with a few of the women that Jesus walked and talked with.
At the heart of the book is the realization that the women of the Bible did kingdom work with beauty and grace and courage. They looked to Jesus, and He spoke to them. And when He spoke, they heard Him. They took His teachings deep into their hearts, affecting their entire community.
She Hears is a walk through these women’s relationships with the Lord, and is built on the truth that Jesus speaks. And when he hear His voice, everything changes.
The rhythm of this study is interactive, well-balanced, and intentional.
For the first 5 weeks of study, you can expect to see the Bible passage of the week, a brief instruction about what to look for in the passage, and a few pages of notes. These notes combine commentary from the author, reflective questions, and plenty of lines and space to journal responses and prayers to the Lord.
One thing I enjoyed about the study is the use of the color method to examine the passage from a new angle every day. The author challenges you to look for particular things in the passage every day, and then highlight or underline with a corresponding color. In doing so, we get an opportunity to see the passage slowly. We see verbs and numbers and words we’d never noticed before.
The blend of commentary, simple tasks, reflection questions, and blank lines was appropriate for each lesson. Each lesson showed me something new and encouraging, both by way of the author’s explanation and my own discovery.
The heart of the author is to help you develop helpful habits that you will carry with you past this book. Habits like highlighting, asking specific questions, looking at the context, praying and writing. I appreciated how she walked us through that.
Nothing ruins a book quicker than an unmet expectation though. Womp womp.
Overall I found this study very helpful and sweet. However, you know how it is when you come across something surprising that you just weren’t quite ready for. It can shake the rapport of the entire book for you if you’re not ready for it.
If you’re going to read and savor this study, you need to know a couple things:
The 6th and final week of the study is completely in your court.
This week’s study simply provides the Bible passage of the week and pages of blank lines. That’s it. There’s no commentary, reflection questions, or other prompts to guide you.
While I appreciate the heart of the author to challenge the reader to take the study habits she’d practiced in the previous 5 weeks and completely own them as her own, I felt the shift was too abrupt. I was surprised to see the study go from so much guidance to none. And I felt a little bothered that I’d come to a Bible study to met with blank lines, even if it was the last week.
That might reveal more of my heart’s issues than the authors, but I admit it to you now so that you can approach the final week of study with more joy than I had.
The author is vulnerable to share some of her own personal stories.
It’s evident that the author loves the church and wants to glorify Christ. The author was willing to share vulnerable stories from her own experience, and I deeply appreciate her honesty.
There were some stories shared and points made using negative experiences from church. I know there are readers who will resonate with that. I’m certain there are women who will say, “Yes, me too, that happened here too.” And maybe those stories are for them. That’s okay. I’m glad we can feel less alone in that.
Although the church isn’t perfect, it is beautiful – full of sinners and those imperfect ragamuffins who do goofy things day in and day out. The author touches on some of those imperfections – and if not read fully or taken wrong, it could affect someone’s entire disposition to the church, turning them further away into resentment and bitterness. That’s too great a risk when you realize the church full of goofballs is God’s chosen vessel to bring His glory about on earth.
The author’s stories are valid, and I’m certain there are many women whose experience with this study will only be deepened by her honesty. I’m giving you the heads up so that you can enjoy the study alongside the author, and not feel caught off guard when her loving honesty hits you.
She will refer to you as Sis a lot.
I love the term of endearment. Truly. Just be prepared to see it on every page in the study.
She Hears makes a beautiful addition to the shelf because it’s a beautiful story of the matchless love of Jesus.
I learned a lot in this study. More than once I came to the study asking the Lord to teach me something, and He revealed something new or connected other pieces for me. Rachael Groll’s heart to help women grow in their relationship with Christ is at the center of this study, and it was a joy to work through these lessons with her help.
Above all the head knowledge though, I felt my desire to love the Lord grow more deeply grow with each lesson. That’s the entire point of a Bible study, and I call this a big win.