My husband Wayne and I have been contemplating significant decisions, which have kept me prayerful these past few months. We are big believers that one should never make significant moves without a lot of prayer. As I thought about the importance of prayer in my life, I thought about the times when it significantly impacted my business and, subsequently, me.
Prayer affects me in three ways relating to my business and personal life.
The first way is changing Me.
Sometimes, when I pray about a situation, difficulty, or challenge, something interesting happens that I have now come to expect. For many years, I ran a nonprofit, which by its very nature was a people business. At one point, I became frustrated with my board. Money was tight, and I was thinking of closing programs.
Desperate, I felt the board could do more, but I kept hitting dead ends. Eventually, I did what I should have done earlier; I entered a time of desperate prayer. The Lord answered my prayer by revealing that my heart was not right, that I was being ungrateful, and that I needed to look to Him and not people as the source. I felt internally ashamed and repented of my ways. Instead of "blaming" my board, I genuinely thanked and appreciated them for the sacrifice of their time. Prayer changes you.
The second way is changing others.
In addition to running a nonprofit, I also ran a law firm with my husband and partner, Wayne. One of the business pitfalls is that sometimes you must change your staff. Some employees are a good fit, and some are not. Terminating someone, especially a good person who may be ill-suited for the job, is never easy. This act always brought me to my knees for wisdom. On more than one occasion, while I was praying through these tough decisions, the Lord suddenly opened a door of opportunity for the employee, and they left without me asking them to. This was always a welcome resolution to a somewhat tricky employee matter. Prayer changes others.
The third way is closing doors.
A final way prayer impacts me in business is when God closes a door of opportunity. Many moons ago, Wayne and I embarked on publishing an exciting Caribbean magazine. It was fun, but it required a lot of capital upfront before you saw any returns. We ran out of money early in the startup phase and applied for an SBA loan. We needed that money to keep going. We were so close to success, we thought.
We prayed fervently to the Lord, asking Him for favor with the bank and a good result. When the bank finally answered, it was a NO. The loan officer told us that he could have granted us the loan, but he knew that the loan would only hurt us because our business plan was not solid. He was right. It did not feel good then, but it was the right decision. God closed the door for our good.
When you pray, remember that God will answer best for you. Trust Him in the process. What are you praying for these days? God is able! Prayer has transformed my business.
I would love to hear your thoughts on integrating faith and prayers at work.
Also, please get in touch with me for a free 30-minute coaching call if you're ready to take your next step!
With love,
Sharon
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