Over the past year, my approach to prayer has evolved, and if I may say so, it’s for the better.
The turning point came in March, from an incident at work. After 5 1/2 years with the same company, during which I developed deep respect and so many amazing friendships, I had a situation happen where a leader I loved and respected thoroughly embarrassed and disrespected me by replacing me on an important project I was leading (and to make matters worse, I found out about this change in an email sent to a large team). I won’t dive into the gory details, but it was the most humiliating and hurtful experience I’ve had in nearly 30 years of my professional life. You know, one where there were tears involved…. for days. Looking back, it was just a dumb work issue that I should have shrugged off, but at the time, it felt like a personal apocalypse.
I mean, how the whole situation was handled, resulted in me spinning it uncontrollably in my mind and worrying incessantly. Instead of being able to focus on work or family, my mind was filled with self-defeating thoughts and questions. I started worrying about how we, as a team, could meet our business goals without me leading this project. I worried about what my peers were saying about me or thinking about me now that this leader took me off this project. I started questioning my own skillset and value, all because of how this leader had treated me during this situation.
In the past, whenever I’ve been spiraling in my mind about some issue in life, my go-to response for such upsets was prayer. Being a lifelong Christian, I’ve always turned to prayer as my emotional Swiss Army knife. Before this ordeal, my prayers typically sounded like, “Dear God, help me sort this out with this leader. Help me find the right words to get through to this leader. Help me find a way to still positively impact results so that I’m hitting my targets for the year. Please help me get stronger skillsets where I’m not strong enough.”
So, my point is that I was quite directive, asking God in my prayers to help me with MY plan.
However, with this specific issue, after praying like I’ve always prayed, and after a week of stress that could’ve earned me a spot on a reality TV show, I realized my old way of praying wasn’t working. So, I sought advice from friends, my family, my sister, and then I began binge-watching sermons by Pastor Mark Driscoll—my new spiritual YouTuber. And as a result, I changed my prayer style completely. My new approach was short, sweet, and to the point: “Dear God, I’m giving this problem to you and trusting you to handle it. Amen.”
Lo and behold, within a month of this newfound simplicity, blessings started rolling in. First, I got a public apology from one of the executives involved and the reinstatement of my project leadership. I was shocked—if you’ve ever seen an executive publicly admit fault, you’d know it’s a rarer sight than a unicorn. On top of that, I had been casually job hunting (for various reasons, even before this issue), and within a month of my prayer makeover, I landed a higher-level more challenging position in a new company that made me do a little happy dance. I’m thrilled to start this new role in September.
At home, I’ve seen similar divine intervention. Issues with my kids’ behavior started showing improvement, and the right tutoring support for their summer and school year fell into place effortlessly. I’m currently praying about a challenging denominational issue at my church and hoping for more of the same positive results.
I often wonder how non-believers manage adulthood without the support of prayer. As I get older, I realize my faith isn’t just a comfort; it’s what keeps my life and heart full. It’s my rock in life’s valleys and the reason my stress levels aren’t through the roof. With Him by my side, I can handle almost anything.
Now, as we head into the notoriously chaotic election season, I’ve decided to spend more time praying and less time blogging (like the last election cycle). In the past, I’ve found solace in writing blogs to share my views and rally those who agree with me, but this year, I’m shifting gears. My focus will be on seeking peace and guidance through prayer rather than pouring my thoughts into blog posts. Well, at least not as many blog posts:)
Not only will I be praying more than blogging, I’ll be trying to pray in my new less directive way. Prior to changing my prayer style, this would’ve been my prayer for the election cycle:
“Dear God, I trust you to bring forth the right candidate for this election. I’ve already seen your blessings in action, from your divine protection of President Trump to his growth and focus on unity. Your influence is clear in the increased public discussion and acceptance of Christianity.
Please shake those people voting for Kamala just because she smiles & laughs, to remind them we’re not voting for the “Most Joyous”—-this is a serious vote that results in either the continued decline or the turnaround success of our country.
Please remind those who are hung up on the abortion issue, that this topic is merely a sliver of what they should be considering when determining the right candidate. There are so many more variables, skillsets, and needs for our country to pull up out of this tailspin. And, please remind these folks that they need to make sure they understand where each candidate truly stands on abortion, not what the mainstream media has told them.
Please guide those who don’t support President Trump to recognize his growth as a leader and see how the media and the left continue to misrepresent his words and intentions. Help them remember the struggles many have faced over the recent years under Kamala Harris’s administration—like job losses, depleted savings, and escalating woke agendas in schools—and help them envision the potential radical changes if she were to become president. Please help them recognize, that they don’t have to guess how Kamala will lead; that they can just look at the tragic current state of our country and know she was at the helm for the last 4 years.
If anyone can open eyes and change hearts, it’s you, Lord.
Thank you, Lord, for your strength and guidance. Amen.”
But like my lesson earlier this year, my prayer shouldn’t be directive. In reality, I don’t know God’s plan. There is no doubt in my mind, that God has his hand on Trump. But I don’t know if that means Trump will win or not. God may still have other sacrifices, challenges, and obstacles for him to face as part of a greater journey. So my new prayer for this election cycle is:
“God, as we approach this chaotic election cycle, we trust that You are working through Donald Trump and other public figures to spread Your word to a country gone astray.
We trust and submit to Your will on how that plan will be brought to life.
Between now and then help us to realize how You want to use each of us in bringing Your Word back to the center of this nation and to also be brave enough to act on it.
Amen.”
So, anywho, here’s to more non-directive prayers and fewer blog posts—because in the grand scheme of things, divine intervention is definitely a more effective stress-reliever than a well-crafted blog!