Leadership and Prayer By Howard Rich

Leadership Requires Prayer

Prayer was an integral part of Jesus’ life and ministry.  His disciples saw him praying often and even asked Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1-4).

The Lord’s Prayer, found in both Luke’s Gospel and the Gospel of Matthew, is a perfect example of the equipping relationship Jesus had with those He was teaching (Matthew 6:5-15).  The disciples saw how important prayer was to their Lord.  They knew that Jesus consulted the Father intimately and frequently through prayers that were personal and powerful.  The apostles wanted to emulate their master, and prayer was one of the acts their master participated in that set Him apart from the teachers and religious people around them.

Jesus spoke to the apostles about prayer and how they should pray, because He knew the prayers of many around them were empty, lacking power and authority.  In Matthew Chapter 6, Jesus instructs His followers to pray in solitude, before God and not before men.  He tells them that those who flaunt their prayers and acts before men receive their reward from men, not from God.

A steward-minded leader will pray in ways that reinforce the relationship between worshiper and God, without concern for those who may be watching or hearing.  Jesus taught the apostles that the Father hears every word of the petitioner; therefore, their prayers should be direct, to the point, and meaningful.

Leadership is hard and requires a great deal of humility, especially when the leader realizes he is only a manager for what has been entrusted into his care.  When we are taking care of what does not belong to us, we need to be clear on what the owner desires, which requires direct and frequent communication with the owner.  To this end, prayer must be a non-negotiable discipline in the life of the steward leader.

Is prayer a non-negotiable in your disciplines as a leader?

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Howard Rich is the VP of Operations for the Network of International Christian Schools (NICS).

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