Weekly Thought – August 25, 2026
Fred was born on September 1, 1915. This year would be the 111th anniversary of his birth. He was the third of five boys. His Mother and Dad taught him the value of integrity. Matthew Bunyan Smith and Amye Anderson Smith were praying parents. Fred followed their example and until physically unable, he knelt by his bed nightly asking for wisdom and “talking things over” with God.
Praying Leaders
Prayer alone will not produce a leader. The Apostle Paul was a leader before meeting Christ, but he was leading in the wrong direction. But no one can become a competent Christian leader without prayer. As healthy plants require rain, so powerful leadership requires prayer.
There is disuse, misuse, and abuse of prayer. I want to talk about four steps of useful prayer:
1) Positioning – Prayer positions me. It reminds me I am not the ultimate leader; He is. I am ever a steward and never an owner. Sometimes kneeling helps me to physically experience this step.
2) Shifting into neutral – Prayer is most effective when I shift into neutral gear. This means I come willing to accept divine leadership. This is the toughest part of my prayer life. Leaders are usually strong-willed and feel extremely uncomfortable, even awkward, if they aren’t in a forward gear. “Your will be done” is so much harder than “this is what I think we should do.”
3) Dynamic peace – Tournament golfers standing over a crucial putt, block out the crowd, the money, and focus on nothing other than the pure stroke. Often, as leaders we must block out our fear of failure. We must avoid second guessing our decisions. Prayer helps us to find a dynamic peace – not a sleepy slumber, but an exhilaration. Confidence comes and concentration follows. Prayer does not improve our basic skills, but it gives us concentration that permits us to do our best.
4) Acceptance – When I’ve done my best, only then in prayer can I peacefully accept failure and success, “treating those two impostors just the same,” as Kipling said. A leader prays himself into the conscious presence and will of God so that he accomplishes “my utmost for His highest” and hears the welcoming benediction, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
This week think about: 1) What causes me to pray? 2) Who is my model as a praying leader? 3) How can I deepen my walk with Jesus?
Words of Wisdom: “Prayer alone will not make a leader.”
Wisdom from the Word: “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1 NET Bible)