I am a huge proponent of prayer. I have seen God move in amazing, miraculous ways in my life throughout my years. There is power in prayer! Here is just one of my favorite verses from the Bible on prayer:
“But God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me!” Psalm 66:19-20
But I do see some problems with prayer in Christian and church culture with the Godly Leader. Here are 3 problems and 1 solution:
PROBLEM #1 – We don’t actually pray. We say, “Oh, I’ll pray for you on that,” or “I’m praying hard,” or “We’ll be praying for sure.” Godly Leader, what percentage of times that you say, text, or email that you actually pray? I confess that it’s not 100% for me. I’m guessing it’s not for you, either. That may seem like a small thing or that our heart is in the right spot, but it is actually a lie and a sin. I hate to be so black and white, but as Godly Leaders, it is Essential that we are better than that. We need to be men and women of our word. The people we lead need to know that our word can be trusted.
PROBLEM #2 – We don’t truly believe in prayer. We may answer “Yes” to the written quiz question: “Does prayer change things?” But, do we really, truly, act like it and pray like it? That’s a bigger question than we have time for in this blog, but it’s an Essential wrestling that Godly Leaders need to have.
PROBLEM #3 – We take prayer requests and turn them into gossip. I believe that we often don’t mean to do this. But, if we are passing along “Did you hear?” or “We need to be praying for…” in a gossiping tone, it is very undermining of your Godly Leadership and trust. Proverbs 11:13 says, “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person [Godly Leader] keeps a secret [prayer request].”
THE #1 SOLUTION – Pray. Stop and pray right when someone asks you in the hallway or when you read a text when you say that you’ll pray for them. Write it down so that you can pray as well later and consider following up to see how the person is doing and how you can best pray as the situation or issue develops. As you pray, believe that God is listening and is doing a work. As a Godly Leader, your influence and impact will increase for Christ as you commit to utmost character and integrity in what you say you will do and as you see God use your prayer life for His glory!
We could talk a lot more on this topic, but we’ll leave it there for now. What are your thoughts or questions? Leave them in the comments. If you found this blog helpful or thought-provoking, please subscribe below to receive a new weekly blog in your email on Tuesday morning. Also, if you think this blog would be helpful for others, please share it on social media or tell a few friends about it!
Love being on this Essential Godly Leadership journey with you!
Essential Godly Leadership: “Leading your life, your family, your work, your relationships, and your world in a way that is seeking wisdom from, and pleasing to, the Lord Jesus.”