Many Christians learn over time how to incorporate prayer into every part of their lives. This means they also discover effective ways to pray for their employers, customers and coworkers. But what if we've never considered praying for our workplace? Here are some ways to think about prayer for the people God places around us on the job.
Pray over our calendars. Asking God at the beginning of our workday to be with us in our contacts that day helps us discover ways to show them the character of God in those interactions. One of the fringe benefits of this might be a reduction in the times we behave inappropriately toward them. Praying for someone has the amazing effect of reducing our animosity toward them. We also often find ourselves reminded of our prayers for them when we see them, and this reminder makes us conscious of their need for Christ (if they aren't a Christian), or to be strengthened and encouraged (if they are a follower of Christ.)
Pray for those we manage or lead. Scripture defines work as one of the ways we serve God, and this means the people we manage have been placed there not only as corporate responsibilities, but as spiritual ones as well. We must pray for God's wisdom in dealing with them, reflecting the character of God in our management styles.
Pray for those who manage or lead us. While our managers have responsibility for us, we as Christians have an obligation to pray for those in authority over us. Praying for our managers reminds us of their humanity, and of their need for Christ. Often, our hearts will be softened, enabling us to reflect the character of God even in those times when we might face unreasonable demands or unfair treatment.
Pray for God to make it clear who He wants us to talk to about Him that day, and who might benefit from our silence about matters of faith in that moment. God does not play head games with us. When we seek His direction, His will becomes clear to us, and this includes even the discussions we have about Him on the job.
Divide up the people we pray for into days of the week. Because of often insanely hectic paces, the number of people we can effectively, individually pray for is limited. Consider praying for a different list of people each day of the week. While that list will often change based on your calendar, we've discovered this regular pattern of prayer for coworkers and others often makes us better able to respond like Christ during unexpected encounters with them, including times of conflict.
The work of evangelism is the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of evangelism is also ours. Just as the Holy Spirit softens hearts, including our own, so too does prayer change the way we see those who need to hear about the One who offers grace that lasts forever. We are--or we
Pray over our calendars. Asking God at the beginning of our workday to be with us in our contacts that day helps us discover ways to show them the character of God in those interactions. One of the fringe benefits of this might be a reduction in the times we behave inappropriately toward them. Praying for someone has the amazing effect of reducing our animosity toward them. We also often find ourselves reminded of our prayers for them when we see them, and this reminder makes us conscious of their need for Christ (if they aren't a Christian), or to be strengthened and encouraged (if they are a follower of Christ.)
Pray for those we manage or lead. Scripture defines work as one of the ways we serve God, and this means the people we manage have been placed there not only as corporate responsibilities, but as spiritual ones as well. We must pray for God's wisdom in dealing with them, reflecting the character of God in our management styles.
Pray for those who manage or lead us. While our managers have responsibility for us, we as Christians have an obligation to pray for those in authority over us. Praying for our managers reminds us of their humanity, and of their need for Christ. Often, our hearts will be softened, enabling us to reflect the character of God even in those times when we might face unreasonable demands or unfair treatment.
Pray for God to make it clear who He wants us to talk to about Him that day, and who might benefit from our silence about matters of faith in that moment. God does not play head games with us. When we seek His direction, His will becomes clear to us, and this includes even the discussions we have about Him on the job.
Divide up the people we pray for into days of the week. Because of often insanely hectic paces, the number of people we can effectively, individually pray for is limited. Consider praying for a different list of people each day of the week. While that list will often change based on your calendar, we've discovered this regular pattern of prayer for coworkers and others often makes us better able to respond like Christ during unexpected encounters with them, including times of conflict.
The work of evangelism is the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of evangelism is also ours. Just as the Holy Spirit softens hearts, including our own, so too does prayer change the way we see those who need to hear about the One who offers grace that lasts forever. We are--or we
Pray without ceasing. -I Thessalonians 5:17