Praying for My Co-Workers

In my new journey of praying for co-workers, I found myself focusing, at first, on things that would increase their work performance – energy levels, sense of commitment and involvement in our department, interpersonal interactions, etc. Then, I realized that these prayers were somewhat self-serving, as they were all about improving my workplace.

I expanded my prayers for colleagues (faculty and staff) to include what I know about them – health struggles, family/relationship issues, ability to juggle work and home, future goals, etc.

And, slowly, I’ve come to realize that I don’t know some of my co-workers well enough to pray for them beyond work. So now I’m looking for chances to invite these co-workers to join me for coffee or lunch so we can become better acquainted – and not so I can know how to pray for them.

I’m not yet at the place of actually asking my co-workers how I could pray for them, but I have an inkling that God may be leading me there soon. To be honest, the idea makes me feel very uncomfortable.

While universities are supposed to be a place where many ideas and beliefs are welcome, I’ve sometimes found that the opposite is true. I’m worried that workplace disagreements or issues may arise, and that my stance on issues or interpersonal interactions may drive others away from God if I am more open about being a Christ follower.

I also realized that I’ve been praying for good things (e.g., good health, strong family interactions) for my co-workers, but maybe that would not be the best for them. Many times, God uses the hard times to draw us closer to Him. God’s will and my co-workers drawing closer to Him should really be the focus of my prayers.

Despite these doubts and concerns, I’ve been reminded that prayer is not about me – it’s about God and the work that He will do in the lives of everyone in my department.