Pray It up: Praying for Your Co-workers and Workplace
“First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone … that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
My close friend works at a neighborhood barre studio as a receptionist. She shared with me that part of her mission there is to cover the space with blessing and intercede for every woman who enters. She prays for the environment, for protection from the evil one’s deception, and for the Holy Spirit’s peace to fill the space. In the name of Jesus, she prays against the lies of comparison, worthlessness, ungodliness, shame, and fear, among others.
As each woman walks through the door, my friend offers a prayer of blessing over her, as a beloved daughter of God. As each woman leaves, she prays for her safety and for the Holy Spirit to seal promises of her identity upon her soul.
Talk about praying up the workplace!
Why Do Retreat Centers, Monasteries, and Pilgrimage Sites Have a Tangible Presence of the Holy Spirit?
Upon walking in, it’s as if a sheet of God’s presence falls gently upon your face. It’s not a coincidence that each of these places has people dedicated to prayer on a daily basis. People intercede for the space and for the people who will visit it, and they speak the Word of God aloud on a daily basis. These spaces are covered with truth and blessing.
What about the workplace? It’s often where we spend the largest portion of our time. How do we bring the presence of God there, especially when our office space is secular?
We Pray It up
Have you ever thought about praying for your work environment? For the physical space to be filled with the fruits of the Spirit — overflowing with joy, love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control, and gentleness.
Furthermore, when you start to sense that the evil spirits of pride, greed, comparison, envy, fear, anxiety, or confusion are looming among your co-workers, do you intercede on behalf of your brothers and sisters in Christ?
Here’s a simple prayer I use when I start to sense a spirit of fear or anything not of the Lord spreading in the office: “In the name of Jesus, I rebuke the evil spirit of fear and send it to the foot of the cross. Amen.”
Then, I invite the Holy Spirit to enter in to fill our hearts and minds with his love, because His perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
Sometimes, I whisper these prayers to myself, and sometimes, I go to the bathroom or step outside. If I have time, I’ll pray for each person in the room by name, for whatever is going on in his or her personal life, work life, or heart.
For example: “Jesus, please bless Julie, and remind her of her worth in you today. Calm any storms in her life, and fill her with your peace that surpasses all understanding. Amen.”
It’s simple and powerful.
Jesus calls us to play an active role on behalf of our colleagues, not a passive one. He has revealed himself to us and entrusted to us the mission field of our life. The places where we find ourselves are the very places where we are called to enter into battle through prayer to further the Kingdom of God on earth, including the workplace.
As my parish pastor likes to say, “The world is full of curses. Everywhere you look and every page you scroll down, there’s curses in this world. Why not throw some blessing out there? On every person you meet and every place you go, throw some blessing on them; they won’t even know what’s hit them.”
How Can You Pray up Your Workplace?
Have you ever thought about praying for the space itself before you leave your car or log on? What about offering a simple prayer of blessing for your co-workers and the people you interact with throughout the day?
Don’t be shy about praying the name of Jesus in stressful situations or when something feels off. In Hebrew, “Jesus” means “God saves.” What better way to respond to difficulty than to call upon the Light who rescues us from darkness?
Let’s cover our little corner of the earth in blessing.
“God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
Kendra McClelland is a Regional Mission Advancement Officer at The Evangelical Catholic. After receiving her M.Div. from the Franciscan School of Theology in 2017, Kendra began working for The Evangelical Catholic, a Catholic non-profit whose mission is to equip local leaders to deepen the culture of discipleship and launch movements of evangelization in dioceses, parishes, campus ministries, and military communities. She recently returned to San Diego, CA to lead the EC’s expansion along the west coast. Kendra is passionate about walking with women to discover their true worth and freedom in Christ. She loves traveling, barre, wine tasting, and heartfelt conversations with friends. You can follow her on Instagram (@kendramcclelland) and read more of her writing here.