I hate when prayer is called a discipline. I wrote about it once before here. Maybe that is because the word discipline connotes a negative you-have-to-do-it-or-you-are-in-trouble disposition.
Maybe it is because I don’t have discipline.
Anyway, I think of prayer as a privilege. It is like having God on your speed dial.
Have you ever called someone and heard the enthusiasm in their voice when they realized it was you? I love that!
I try to imagine that is how God feels when our prayers are lifted up to Him. Maybe He says “Awesome, it’s Sue calling.”
I hope so because I call a lot!
Especially when I am stressed!
Stress Solutions: Pray, Plan and Practice Follow-up
We started this week by discussing stress solutions. I shared my three-part process: Pray, Plan and Practice.
I wanted to follow up with a little more depth on how to incorporate prayer into your business life and how it can be used to help us manage the stress that is inevitable at various times in the life of a small business owner.
Prayer is our communication with God. It helps us create a connection with Him. It enhances our relationship with Him and will permeate into every part of our being. Through prayer, we will find the peace to reduce our stress while we are weathering the current storm. Through our relationship with Jesus, we will find the strength to do the things that have to be done to get on the right track.
Ten Ways To Pray About Your Business
Here are 10 ways to connect with God and pray about your business:
- I really like to walk through my business at the beginning of the week and lift up each office, other counselors, and clients to God.
- When I study scripture, I look for what God is trying to tell me about my business. I ask (pray) God to reveal to me the things I am doing wrong or the attitudes I have that may be a problem.
- I also pray for opportunity and growth. Remember, the book The Prayer of Jabez. Sometimes I pray for God to “expand my borders” for His work.
- Set up a prayer team for your business. These can be friends and family who want to come alongside you and intercede for your business.
- Getting a prayer partner may be a more intimate source of intercession. Someone you are comfortable sharing details of your business and life with.
- Journal to God. When I pray through journaling it feels very tangible. It is the best way for me to give my burdens to Him.
- Ask (pray) for the Holy Spirit to guide your words and actions each day. Let Him lead the way.
- Draw and Color a prayer map. It is kind of like a mind map with pictures and colors to represent your prayers for the week. Pin them up over your desk to keep them top of mind.
- Pray with your spouse each morning before work. Include your spouse in your worries and hopes for your business. Make them a part of it too!
- Just talk to God all day. Keep Him so close that at any given time you can look to Him for the right path!
Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version, ©2011)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Where Are You Today on the Stress Meter?
Since it is Monday, rank your stress right now on a scale of 1-10, 10 being over the top. Now, try some of these ways to keep the conversation going with God this week. Lift up your heart to Him in prayer.
Watch to see if your stress meter comes down at the end of the week. Do you have a lower number? Do you feel closer to God? Do you feel the enthusiasm from Him every time He hears from you?
Remember, it is okay to pray about your business.
Oh, and share with us your favorite form of prayer for your business in the comments below. Let’s try to grow this list to 20!
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A few other posts on keeping stress down and praying in your business:
Prayer: Intentionality Creates Connection
Stress: Shut It Down Before It Shuts You Down
Thanks for the encouragement! tweeted and subscribed 🙂
Hi Kenneth, Thanks for coming by and thanks for sharing with others!!
Thanks for sharing your top 10, Sue. I’ve been away from my journaling for a long time and I’ve had other prayer partners suggest it, just haven’t gotten there yet. Now it’s time.
Jack
Jack, I found a great tool online to journal through – http://www.750words.com. Check it out! They even send reminders!
Prayer is one of the best ways to DE-stress oneself after a tiring day at work. Thanks for the tips which provide a practical way to address daily issues especially with regards to one’s work life and business, which is a major cause of stress in today’s lifestyle. The 7th tip was the most inspiring of all to ask the Holy Spirit to guide our words and actions each day. Praying for guidance is a concept from which all of us can benefit. Thanks again.
@bailemma Thanks for your visit here. It is great to hear which tip are people’s favorite. Thankfully there are many ways we can communicate with God!
Wow! what a way to start every day. I plan on putting all of these practices to work ASAP.
God Bless
Tom
Thanks Tom. Re-reading the post is a reminder for me also!!! Blessings to you too!
Hey there Smiley 🙂
This is just what I was looking for to shore up our infant business (I just joined them two weeks ago)! I felt like we should be praying together everyday at the beginning of our day, to honor our jealous God. Putting Him First where He belongs.
Thanks from james; and God Bless You… Lovely lady
thanks sue.u r right!God lessen the stress a lot! Thank u GOD for everything!
Am so greatfull for ur surport n god bless u
Thanks for share the word of our father
Business and work it’s a gift from God hence we always need to recognize him in all our doings including praising him
nice,all the things u wrote here are nice.what we christrian need is to always communicate with God with faith.he said ask it shall be given,seek and u shall fine,knock,the door will be open unto u.we just shouldn’t relent.
Thanks Sue, was looking for ideas for a small business inauguration today. Thanks for the link to 750words, shared about it to my wife and son too
thanks so much for this guide. I will give it a trial
Hi I’m a first time business owner.. and I’m very nervous because I don’t know what lies ahead for me. I pray to God about what my goals are but what can I do to keep him on my side and make me succeed in life?
God is always on our side Darren. Unfortunately, his measurement of success and ours is sometimes different. I would say that you have to accept that fact, desire his will, and pray for His success and path for your life!
Thanks mam sue!
For sharing those encouraging words! This is the very usefull guide for me, thamnks and God bless us!! ANN
Prayer is a key to success,everytime i open my shop i prayed and give thanks to him for giving me this for my everyday living and make this business grow so that i can continue my church tithes …with out him i am nothing…much thanks for the inspiring tips…God bless to all…
Thanks for the encouragement ma’m!
Thank you for the encouragement and the reminders> I am focusing this year on my business to fund the ministry God has given me. I am on a 21 day of prayer and fasting and one of the days is dedicated to praying for my business to grow and expand. While researching I came across your blog. Thank you Sue! God bless you and grow your business to help other.
Dear Sue,
Greetings from Malaysia. Close to 4 years ago, my husband and I gave up our really stressful careers that spanned 20 years to start a business that we were and still are very passionate about. I have prayed and dedicated the business to The Lord from Day 1. We faced a lot of obstacles since we began. The main ones being finances. We started with whatever little we had and we began from home. (It’s a food business.) People have been very accepting of our innovative products and we have had wonderful reviews and really great media attention. Despite all this, orders are slow and we are hardly being able to make ends meet month after month. I have prayed and cried out in desperation to God but I don’t hear anything. Admittedly, we hadn’t been paying our tithes for a while, since we really were not making much money and needed to survive. However, for a few months this year, we did. But besides that I have really worked tirelessly and honestly, praying every step of the way and trying to hold on to God’s word, and its very frustrating to see everything go the opposite that I am praying (and fasting) for. I’m really at my wit’s end. People tell us to persevere. But when we see so little money coming in, it really upsets us. What do I do?
Thanks for your article. Somehow your candle lighted mine and reduced the density of darkness enshrouding me and my business. Will kindly share with friends and colleagues.