I’m Jane Wangeci, a poet and author based in Kenya. So far, I’ve published three books:
Beauty Under the Sky and Other Poems — inspired by the power outside us: nature, family, love, and life.
Where My Power Ends and Other Poems — inspired by the power within us: those personal affirmations we hold onto in difficult moments, and the reminder that where our power ends, God’s mercy begins.
40 Days of a Silent Walk — inspired by the power beyond us: God and the scriptures take center stage in this devotional.
About This Nomination
I’ve been nominated this year for 40 Days of a Silent Walk, a book I never planned to write. Honestly, the only credit I claim is that my name is on the cover. I simply thank God for choosing to speak through me.
How It Was Birthed
Between 2022 and 2023, I was walking through a painful separation. Emotionally drained, judged, rejected—even prayer felt uncertain. I wasn’t sure whether to ask God for restoration or simply for the strength to accept His will.
Then, toward the end of October 2023, a stranger sent me a message about the power of communal prayer. That message stirred something in me. I reached out to six women close to me, formed a WhatsApp group, and together we began what would unknowingly become a 40-day prayer journey.
Each person contributed—opening prayers, worship songs, encouragement, and I shared a prayer guided by scripture. Though strangers to each other, these women were all personally dear to me.
About the Book
We didn’t set out to pray for 40 days. I just felt led to study the books of Job, Micah, and Joel. Often seen as prophets of doom, to me, they hold some of the deepest promises of restoration and purest forms of worship.
Each day became a page: a Bible verse, a short reflection, and a prayer. The deeper I went, the more the prayers shifted—from focusing on my pain to listening for God’s purpose. By the end, I wasn’t even praying about the marriage anymore. 🤭
From WhatsApp to Manuscript
When the 40 days ended, I thought that was it. But a week later, I felt a strong urge to write it all down. I feared losing the messages, so I began again—this time alone, with just a notebook and God. I started on January 1st, 2024. The 40th day landed on February 14th—Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. That’s when my testimony truly began.
The challenges didn’t stop, but neither did God’s voice nudging me to publish.
Why the Mountains on the Cover?
A brother in Christ once told me, “Jane, I won’t pray that God removes your mountains—but that He gives you the strength to climb them.” That stayed with me. The mountains were many. But God never left. And now, I’ve seen so many of those prayer requests answered.
Parting Shot
I don’t know why God chose me for this, but I’m grateful He did. I’m not the best Christian, or theologian, or even a polished prose writer. I’m just a poet who, for a moment, was moved out of her comfort zone to carry a message meant for someone else.
To God be all the glory.
