“O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.” Now I was the cupbearer to the king.
Nehemiah 1:11
Nehemiah prayed for success, and so can you. Praying with an open heart opens a two-way channel of communication between you and Heaven. Praying God’s Word (the Bible—what God said) as Nehemiah did says to God, “I heard what You said before, and I want to hear You now.” Mark Batterson, in his best-selling book The Circle Maker, said, “The Bible wasn’t meant to be read through but prayed through.” Praying God’s will guarantees God’s involvement in your success as you follow His lead and do your part. What does it mean to pray with an open heart? When you pray as Nehemiah did, you pray with sincerity, transparency, reverence, and a specific request—then you LISTEN. The “open heart” approach when praying for success carries a conviction of purpose to get something done, and this attracts God’s favor.
God breathes success on those who involve Him in the micro-decisions of their day. God is delighted when you come to Him for help, just like any father would be when their son or daughter reaches out. Asking God to make your way prosperous doesn’t move God, but it moves you to work with His Spirit to accomplish something with Him you could not accomplish without Him. When I was 20 years old, selling advertising to clients twice my age, I would often prepare for meetings by writing my statements and questions on a pad of paper I kept in my car before I walked into the meeting. As I wrote, I would pray, “Lord, please give me the right words to say and the right questions to ask and grant me favor with this customer.” So much of success is nuanced in a moment of timing. Bringing God into the micro-moments of your day-to-day work activities allows Him to breathe inspiration over your decisions, your deliberations, and the outcomes of what you set your hand to. When should you pray the prayer for success? Any time you are meeting with someone you desire favor with or someone who has authority to make your life better or worse. This can include supervisors, customers, coworkers, coaches, pastors, parents, and more.
REFLECT TO CONNECT
- What meeting might you need God’s help or hand with? What outcome are you hoping for?
- Can you give an example of a meeting you had where you said the wrong thing that sent the meeting in a wrong direction?
- Have you ever tried writing out your prayer requests to see how God might answer you on paper?
Bringing God into the micro-moments of your day-to-day work activities allows Him to breathe inspiration over your decisions and deliberations and influence the outcomes of what you set your hand to.
