Prayer for leaders is important because it helps you to feel as though you have some control in your fate. Ultimately, this element of control provides you with piece of mind.
Praying for leaders begins with choosing to focus on one of these core areas: favor with God, favor with man, vision, protection, priorities, family, and holistic health.
By concentrating on one of these categories, you are able to center your energy on the topic that matters most you. However, these seven concentrations share some elements. Stating your intent does not necessarily limit the potential of your prayer.
What might you expect from narrowing your energy on prayer for leaders?
Prayer For Leaders
Favor with God
This area of prayer helps leaders by strengthening their relationship with God. As a leader, it is always great to be doing the lords work. God wants you to do purposeful work. More specifically, he wants you to listen to his calling and follow accordingly. In order to achieve this request, leaders need to have a strong bond with God.
Favor with Man
For followers this is highly pertinent. Followers want to have a close connection with those who inspire, motivate, and guide them. Even more so, followers feel appreciation when leaders empower them to take action. Empowerment generates an emotional connection with their leaders. The reason is that the follower’s feel as though their contributions are appreciated and valuable. Prayers directed toward favor with man enhance teamwork.
Vision
This core area focuses on the mission and even more so the mission of the group. Focusing your prayers toward the leader’s vision helps to guide the team. In turn, the leader makes better decisions. In a sense, you are praying for the North Star to shine bright and guide the way to the desirable outcome.
Protection
Praying for protection helps to overcome challenges and threats. These threats can occur within the team as well as outside. Knowing how to navigate these dilemmas is a critical component to building team strength and team solidarity. When a leader is capable of protecting their followers and removing impediments, followers are free to focus on the tasks that matter and are most significant.
Priorities
Praying for a leader to understand priorities helps in many ways. First, priorities relate to the emphasis a leader places on the function of the team, relating to human capital. Leaders are able to celebrate key accomplishments by team members. These celebrations provide an opportunity for leaders to reward team members and encourage them to repeat the performance and strive for greater accomplishments. Second, priorities may also relate to the tasks facing the organization and the execution of strategy. Understanding the order of tasks to undertake may be the difference between success and failure.
Family
Leaders spend a lot of the time with those they guide. However, at the end of the day they will return how to their families. Time with families can be blissful or enduring. Blissful times allow the leader to unwind and clear their minds. On the other hand, enduring times produce challenges that divert the attention of the leader. As a result, the leader may find it difficult to focus while with the team. This lack of focus can be the difference between performance at high levels and underperforming teams.
Holistic Health
This encompasses both physical and mental health. The pain a leader displays on the outside may limit their ability to engage with the team as desired. One leader that comes to mind that found success while battling the limitations of poor physical health was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt had a paralytic illness and required assistance and support to utilize his lower half of his body in order to move. In spite of this physical limitation, he became a respected president of the United States. Meanwhile, mental health may also create a strain on a leader. For example, a leader could suffer from the winter blues. This depression like state may lead to an eventual toll on themselves and others.
Conclusion
Taking the time to offer a mindful moment to the leaders who guide and inspire us provides us with comfort. Prayer for leaders eases or mind as we relieve the tension of the things that are not always in our control. By praying and focusing on one of the seven core elements of leadership, we feel more in control. Which of these seven areas is most important to you?
