One of the greatest lessons we must learn as leaders is that we need help beyond ourselves!  Often the tasks and responsibilities presented to us are beyond the scope of our personal knowledge or natural ability.  Thankfully, we serve a supernatural God who is available to help if we’ll just call out to Him in prayer!

The Bible declares, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16, KJV).  As Pastor Jim Cymbala says, “Whatever God can do, prayer can do – because prayer links us up with God.”

Prayer may include thanksgiving, praise, worship, or petition, but it always involves speaking from your heart to the Lord.  Just as any healthy relationship requires open communication, prayer is one way to develop and grow your relationship with the Lord.

So, instead of just turning to prayer as a last resort in times of crisis, we should develop a lifestyle of prayer.  The first step to form such a lifestyle is to set aside time specifically for prayer.  You may find it helpful to use the same time and place every day.  Find what works best for you and be faithful.

Pray in the good times and the bad, when you feel like it and when you do not.  Don’t let prayer get lost in the shuffle of life’s busy-ness; honor God by giving prayer its proper priority.  As the apostle Paul exhorted, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Fellowship with the Lord also provides a needed time of refreshing that helps empower you to be an effective witness.  The Gospels tell how even Jesus went alone to pray.  If Jesus needed prayer, we certainly do as well!  You see, we must realize that trying to tackle life on our own is useless and frustrating.  We need God’s help, and praying is how we ask for and receive that help.

As Rev. Billy Graham shared, “Power for life, for ministry, doesn’t come from our own ability; it comes from God. We need a fresh, daily anointing from the Holy Spirit, and that comes from the time we spend with God in His Word and in prayer.”  As a leader, you’ll probably be around other people a lot and may sometimes even be in a spotlight.  But never forget that you’ll draw the strength and wisdom you need for leadership from your time spent alone with God.

The writer of Hebrews encourages us to “come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (4:16).  In other words, God’s help is available to us if we will just call to Him.  We never know what we will face, but we know that a consistent prayer life will prepare us to respond to life’s challenges according to the will of the Lord.

Find time today to put everything else aside and spend some moments in prayer.  The Bible teaches that when you pray, “you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand” (Philippians 4:7, NLT).  Enjoy His peace in prayer today and always!

Leadership Lesson: Developing a close relationship with the Lord through prayer will give you the strength to handle difficult leadership roles.