Stormie Omartian's books—including The Power of a Praying Wife, The Power of a Praying Woman, and Praying God's Will for Your Life—dominate the Christian best-seller list and are used in small groups and Sunday school classes around the world. Yet she blushes when someone calls her an expert on prayer. "A lot of people think because I've written books on prayer that I know something special," she says. "The truth is, I'm just desperate for God."

Raised by a mentally ill mother who verbally and physically abused her, Omartian, 59, spent much of her teens and twenties searching for the love and acceptance she never received at home, which led to suicide attempts, alcohol and drug abuse, and failed relationships. Nothing helped her insecurity and pain—until a friend took her to church. There she discovered the acceptance she'd longed for through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Prayer and total surrender to God healed Omartian's brokenness, helped her forgive her mother, ...