Prayer at Work

By Phil Nasser 

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (Ephesians 6:18)

Do you pray with others at work? If you’re like me, the idea of praying at work was once a foreign one. Work was about finding new customers, taking care of existing customers, creating new products, building a competitive advantage, etc. All this hard work didn’t seem to leave much room for spirituality. 

Several years ago we were working with a client on plans to grow his business. A part of the assignment was to assess the leadership and sales teams. The owner did not think very highly of one of the salespeople and asked me to determine whether she had the tools to be successful in their business. So I scheduled a meeting with her at nine the next morning. She was tardy, and my first thought was, “This is not the way to make a good first impression.” 

When she arrived about 20 minutes late I could sense something was wrong. Before we started I asked if everything was all right. She said things were okay, but was not convincing. When I said, “The reason I asked is because you look upset,” she began to tear up. She then told me that her husband had just told her that morning he wanted a divorce. 

I was stunned and found it hard to react or say anything. I could not imagine what she must have been feeling. Then I heard myself saying, “Would it be okay if we prayed?” I don’t know where that came from; the words seemed to spill out involuntarily. She said yes, and I took her hand and prayed for her and her family. The prayer calmed her. 

Before CIC, I used to think that business and God were separate. In this situation I was very thankful to have been given the opportunity and the courage to pray at work. 

Question to Ponder: When have I ignored or avoided an opportunity to pray at work or elsewhere? What is it that causes us to be unwilling to pray at work?

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