There are many ways that you as a leader can serve. You can ensure people know and understand the purpose, the vision and the values of the organization. You can also ensure that they know how appreciated they are for the work that they do.
Servant leadership is also about listening to others, helping them to live out their strengths and caring for people as individuals.
All of these things will help you to become an effective leader, but there is one thing that is often left out of the business classes and leadership books that truly sets a leader up for success: Praying for others.
The Power of Prayer
Nothing feels better or more powerful than when I hear someone tell me that they are praying for me. I think it is the ultimate expression of showing you care.
Regardless of your position or platform in this world, as a servant leader you can harness the power of prayer. Prayer makes a difference. It impacts the people you are praying for, just as much as it impacts you.
A servant leader’s first and foremost focus needs to be on serving others above and beyond themselves and that starts by praying for them. It is a matter of priority and intention, so don’t let any sort of excuse inhibit you from doing so.
Like every principle in becoming a servant leader, getting into a routine of prayer takes intentional effort. Here are 4 steps to making prayer a habit in your life:
- Step 1: Lock down daily times or activities when you will engage in prayer. I pray for my family, my clients, people with health issues, world issues, etc. everyday during my daily exercise routine. I exercise every day, so I make it a practice to pray at the same time.
- Step 2: Start a list of people that you want to pray for. You will find yourself becoming more intentional about prayer if you are documenting whom you want to hold up in prayer. Make notes of thanksgiving on your list as prayers are answered in their lives.
- Step 3: Let people know you are praying for them. This intention will keep the people that you are praying for at top of mind, and it will also encourage them to know how much you care.
- Step 4: Don’t just pray for the obvious. I think most of us pray for our family and friends, which is almost a given. Your challenge is to expand the list of people you are praying for. Consider the following:
- The people that work for you or are within your sphere of influence
- Your leader and the leaders above them
- Your customers
- Your vendors
- Your competitors
- Your community
- Your elected officials. I beg you, starting tomorrow to include our newly elected President on your prayer list. He or she will need all the prayers they can get.
- Our country. Pray that God blesses our new leadership and gives them the necessary wisdom to lead a God-honoring country.
Praying for others will distinguish you as a servant leader. It will help you to maintain your focus on the greater good of others, while making a difference in the world.
I encourage you to bless others with your prayers!
“Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke 11:1
Mark, did you conjure this timely and important topic up in your deer stand last weekend?
Thank you for the thoughts and challenge as we embark on a new age in our businesses and our country.
God Bless You,
mark
Ha, ha! Yes I definitely had plenty of thinking and prayer time in the stand this weekend.
I’m praying today for President Elect Trump for humility, wisdom, and guidance from the Lord to help him unify and effectively lead our great nation!! God bless America!!
Mark, thank you for asking a very direct question, it is a question that needs to be answered.
Very many times I have been asked, “Please pray for me” … and 99% of the time I respond, “Certainly not… my dear friend I would like to do something better,.. I would like to pray WITH you here and now.” Oh yes, I do that anywhere and everywhere.
But then, what is prayer?? Saint Teresa of Avila explained it so beautifully, “For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.” I love that.
When we pray for others as we do for ourselves, prayer resembles faith. Like faith, prayer is opening our empty hand so that we might receive God’s provision for us. But prayer not only expresses dependence, just as faith admits it must trust; prayer also expresses our belief that God is willing and able to act if we ask, seek and knock.
In his book (The Weapon of Prayer, p.106) E.M. Bounds explains, “Prayer is the language of a man burdened with a sense of need. It is the voice of a beggar, conscious of his poverty, asking of another the things he needs. Not to pray is not only to declare that there is nothing needed, but to admit to a non-realization of that need.”
One may also ask – Why is prayer necessary? Well simply because it makes a difference in the universe; it makes a difference in my life – in the life of the pray-er; it makes a difference in the lives of others for whom we pray; it enables things to happen that otherwise would not happen. Oh yes, it makes all the difference in the world.
“Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness.” H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Have a bless weekend.
Jonathan,
Thank you SO much for this extremely additive information on the power and importance of prayer! You make so many awesome points. I love your practice of praying “with” people whenever possible. That is so powerful to reply like that when asked for prayer.
You are clearly making a significant positive difference in the universe through your obedience to your friendship and conversations with God! I am so inspired by your writing and grasp of servant leadership. Thanks for all you do in making the world a better place!!
Blessings on your weekend as well,
Mark