If you’re a leader, we need you to take time to pray.
We don’t want you to be frantic. We are counting on you to be full of faith and live out your convictions. We need you to think, then lead with a heart filled with courage.
Recently I was on a long trip that happened to come on the heels of another very full week. While skyping with my wife, I told her that I felt thin. ‘Thin’ describes the feeling I get when I realize I’m just skimming across the surface of people’s issues, not really being present or digging deeper. Compassion for people gives way to cynicism about problems. It’s a signal to me that I need to slow down, pray, and invite the Spirit of the living Christ to support the gravity of life’s daily drama.
When you are hurried and rushed, you become a frantic leader. We need you to be a prayerful leader, not just a productive leader. The truth – as you well know – is that the only way to bear fruit is to abide in Jesus. Apart from him you can do nothing.
In addition to regular daily prayer times, I try to make a habit of taking one early morning each week to rise one hour earlier. I keep a running list of the craziest problems I face and pour my heart out to God. On those weeks I don’t feel thin; rather I feel grounded, lighter, and eager to play my role in God’s story.
How do you cultivate the practice of prayerful leadership?
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