For the past two weeks I have been focusing on the leader and prayer. First we focused on the importance of prayer in the life of the leader. Then we identified some reasons why the leader needs to pray. I want to conclude the topic this week with some practical suggestions leaders can apply with the aim of improving their prayer life.
Make time for your personal prayer life.
For many leaders, time often seems limited when it comes to personal prayer. I’ve encountered many leaders who are convinced that they are called by God, whom they acknowledge as their source of strength and wisdom in fulfilling their calling. Unfortunately, time spent in prayer does not always reflect that conviction.
I’ll risk stating the obvious. To have a dependent prayer life – that is, one that you depend on to sustain you in your role as leader – you must make time to pray. There is no app to help you develop a prayer life; you have to make the time.
Mastering the art of prayer, like anything else, takes time. The time we give it will be a true measure of its importance to us. We always find the time for important things. The most common excuse for little time spent in prayer is the list of “to-dos” that crowd our day—all our many duties. John Oswald Sanders
Take time away from the busyness of leading to pray.
It is good to develop daily consistent time of prayer. But there also should be extended periods away for uninterrupted time with God. Consider taking a half day each month or one day each quarter. Create a rhythm to spend uninterrupted time with God. You may think you can’t afford to take time away, but how can you afford not to? Rick Warren makes the following observation:
Have you let God give you a great ambition for your life, for your ministry? Have you had a glimpse of what God wants to do in your life? Maybe the most important thing you could do is take a full day off, get off by yourself with your Bible and say, “God help me to see the situation as You see it. Help me to see Your church as You want it to be. Not as it is, but as You want it to be.” The most fulfilling ambition is to do God’s will. Rick Warren
If you are currently feeling overworked, overwhelmed and a bit discouraged by all you have to do, maybe it is time for you to get away and spend some uninterrupted time with God.
Invite those who serve with you in leadership to join you in prayer.
What better way to develop a dependent prayer life as a leadership team than to pray together?
Encourage those in leadership with you to become as dependent on and passionate about prayer as you, by inviting them to join you. Share with them what God has been teaching you and how he has been helping you through intentional times of prayer. Invite them and set aside consistent times of prayer as a team.
Don’t try to do the prayer and leadership meeting all at the same time. You know how that usually goes – usually with little prayer because you are pressed for time to get through the agenda.
Set aside a time of prayer and invite the team knowing that everyone may not be able to attend. The idea is to create the time and consistency of focused prayer as a team. It could be once a week for 30 minutes or one hour once a month. Find what works best in your context. What you cannot afford is to not do it.
Developing a dependent prayer life takes time and intentional planning. As a leader you cannot afford to use prayer as spiritual seasoning, asking God to make what you are doing look good and be a success. You have to make prayer the most important thing you do as a leader.
Identify one or two practical things you can start doing to improve your prayer life. Share this with at least one other person who will help you.
If you would like help in achieving your goals as a leader or in any area of your life, call us at 208-880-0307 or email us at errol@errolcarrim.com to schedule a complimentary coaching session. To read Errol’s other posts, visit Christ-Centered Life Coaching.