Last week we looked at the importance of prayer in the leader’s life. Jesus – God in human form – modeled to us the centrality of prayer in following the Father’s will.

Jesus, the God-Man, faithfully and consistently modeled a life of public and private prayer for his disciples and for us. If Jesus, the Son of God, needed to pray, then we too need to pray. Prayer is our lifeline; without prayer, we have no spiritual life.

Prayer is vital to godly leadership. At the risk of stating the obvious, let me suggest some reasons why prayer is necessary.

You need prayer for guidance. Whatever vision, mission or mandate you may have from God for the organization you are leading, you need to seek Him daily for His directions in fulfilling the vision.

“Without God’s constant guidance in our lives, how can we be confident of what we are teaching, how we are ministering, or why we are even leading? It does not matter how smart, well-intentioned or competent we are because our knowledge, skills, and talents are simply not enough for the task of leading others spiritually. That role is just too big for us to handle without continual prayer.” Carolyn Taketa

Leaders often run into trouble when they start relying more on their skills, talents, and knowledge, and less on the power of prayer to lead their people.

You need to pray for humility. With leadership comes power and authority which, left unchecked in the hands of broken humanity with ego at the center, is a recipe for disaster. Very few within the Church have not experienced the abuse and pain when a  leader’s ego, enabled by power and authority, took center stage. Many have left the Church swearing they will never return after having encountered such a leader.

To avoid becoming such a leader, your only hope is to constantly seek God in prayer to keep you humble. I believe Paul had this same concern of self and ego taking center stage when he admonished the Church in Philippi to,

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Paul continues in verses 5-11 to describe the humility of Christ as the example for all believers to follow, including (and perhaps especially) leaders.

Leaders who will be broken, humble and grateful must begin on their knees thanking God for His mercy and grace in their lives.

Pray for those you lead. The temptation for many leaders is to be so focused on the task at hand that they forget they are leading broken, hurting people who daily need the prayers of their leaders.

As a leader, it is easy to become consumed with the idea that doing the right thing, saying the right thing, or implementing the right program is all the people need in order to experience what God wants for them – all the while neglecting the most important and necessary aspect of God’s involvement in their lives: to pray for them as if nothing else works.

Although it was 22 years ago, I still remember when I was in pastoral ministry as if it was yesterday. I became focused on making changes, implementing programs, and preaching powerful messages, yet neglected what I now know was the most important thing I could have done for those I was leading: praying for them, interceding on their behalf.

Prayer is crucial for the leader if she wants to lead in a way that honors God. Sure, you can lead without necessarily depending on prayer, but I guarantee that such leadership will not be God-honoring. Take it from my experience as a leader: I have been there and done that.

How much do you depend on prayer compared to your talents, gifts, and knowledge to lead your people? I believe the words of John C. Shultz are a timely reminder to us as leaders:

While most leaders are chosen because of their knowledge, experience and ability, I would suggest that their most important resource is a consistent prayer life. Prayer [is] the place where human beings and God meet.

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.