It seems like it's never been more important to pray for each other, yet I've found so few leaders have prayer shields or a specific group of others praying for them. What soldier runs into battle without a shield? So, if you are a leader, consider asking for prayer today.
When I was leading prayer groups and involved in prayer calls, we were hyper-focused on specific prayer needs. Calls were strategic and planned out to make the best use of time. Just look at the leader prayer guide in the "Resources" tab to get a sense of the way calls are often led if you're not familiar. The Leader Prayer Guide outlines strategic ways to set up prayer groups or calls if you're a leader or new to prayer leadership. It's a helpful guide from a very experienced friend.
Before I was in prayer leadership, I had been part of small groups where we would pray for each other. It was often a timely prayer request or something brief since we had to pray for everyone in the group. Or, in our church service, we'd lift up the "one-liner" or short prayer for a loved one or specific need at that time. Since we had to pray for everyone in the church, it seemed like an unspoken rule to avoid long detailed requests. These were my experiences of asking for prayer overall. It seemed like enough.
I enjoyed the focused calls and praying for specific purposes during prayer calls. However, when I was about to join the National Day of Prayer Task Force, a few experienced leaders mentioned that it would be wise to have a prayer shield. I didn't know what that was, but it's a small group of individuals who pray specifically for the leader or leaders. I'm sure there are other terms, but this is what I experienced.
In any case, I didn't take it seriously, and I thought, how could I ask someone to pray for me anyhow? It seemed like a lot to ask, and honestly, I thought it was self-centered to ask for prayer. The months went by, and I prepared for my first National Day of Prayer event. Since Covid-19 was new, we had an online prayer event verses an in-person event at the state house. In the days leading up to it, I became incredibly sick. It was only through prayer that I could hold the event – and I was grateful it was online.
The next day I was incapacitated and had never been so sick. I slept 20 hrs a day and couldn't do anything. It was during the time of covid, but I tested negative. I was unintentionally isolated for weeks because I couldn't get out of bed. It was weeks before I could do much and a year before I had 70% of my energy back.
I know illness happens, but I felt that this was not a "natural" situation but a clear attempt from the enemy to take me out. So I began to take the idea of a prayer shield seriously. However, I didn't know what to do or how to ask.
Fortunately, our God is ever attentive and aware of everything going on in our lives. So I prayed and asked God to help me and give me names of those I should ask – and he did. I heard the person's full name in my mind, someone I didn't know very well. Yet I knew this was important, so I trusted God to lead the call and give me the words to say.
I had interacted with this person at an event in the past and gave her a call. She graciously gave me the time and listened to what I had to say. I explained my situation and the oddness I felt in asking her for prayer, but I knew it was essential for me to seek prayer support.
She was incredibly kind to listen and, by the end of the call, agreed to pray for me – it was the grace of God. I also knew one other woman who had offered to pray for me in the past, and I spoke with her, and the two became my prayer covering.
Over the next year, it was the biggest blessing to have these amazing women praying for me. Situations in my family surfaced, illness, and more unexpected challenges. They helped in so many ways, acting like Aaron and Hur to Moses, lifting my hands when I could not. It is not to say I think of myself like Moses but that I could not do this alone as a leader.
If I've learned anything in leadership, it's that leadership is never done alone. Of course, God is our constant support, but we need others. I've seen so many leaders face incredible difficulties in their personal lives with their families, marriages, or work-life that might have been avoided if they had a prayer covering. Pastors, worship leaders, prayer leaders; ALL leaders are susceptible to multiple attacks by the enemy.
When I had initially thought of having a prayer shield, it felt self-serving, but I realized later it was a sense of pride (I don't need it) or fear (what would someone think if I asked for prayer) that kept me from asking.
If you are in a leadership position, I cannot recommend a prayer covering more strongly. Too often, we hear stories of leaders involved in illicit activities, embezzling money, or cheating on their spouses. Unfortunately, the impulses to participate in these activities don't happen overnight, and prayer could make all the difference.
Even if you don't think these kinds of things could happen to you, plenty of leaders find themselves with family issues, illness, poverty, etc., often out of nowhere. Not to say God cannot use hard times for our good, but it can only benefit us to have others praying with and for us. Leaders are easy targets for the enemy to pursue, and we need to seek the Lord to see if he wants us to have a prayer covering or prayer shield.
A prayer covering may be one or two people. It may be a group of many, depending on what the Lord desires for you. Humbling yourself to seek the Lord and ask others for prayer are the first steps to helping you be the best leader you can be.
In this time of great darkness (Isaiah 60), we need all the help we can get as leaders. As Paul wrote in Ephesians, it is not a battle of flesh and blood but a spiritual battle. To be effective we need both sword (the Word) and shield (prayer). Therefore, if you are in leadership of any kind, even in your work, I would recommend praying and asking the Lord to see if he would like you to have a prayer covering and help direct you to the right person(s).
I pray that all leaders are able to find the prayer covering they need to be the best leaders they can be in this present darkness. May God bless you in this endeavor. Amen.
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