When you were young, you would have learnt that prayer is direct communication with God or any higher order. However, after you grow up, you sometimes forget the value of prayer to start your day, to get you through trials and tribulations, and also as a form of gratitude.
Andrea D. Price’s book, ‘Everyday Prayers for Servant Leaders’, contains daily affirmations, as well as about 100 prayers. Each public servant prayer is specifically designed to address any of the challenges you are bound to encounter in the performance of your duties.
The Office of Personnel Management reveals that 2.1 million individuals are working in the government. Government workers are overworked and in some cases, severely underpaid. And they are also much maligned.
A Gallup survey showed that about 50% of people either have no trust in the government or do not trust it very much. And when they have no confidence in the institution, you can bet that they also distrust the people inside. More worrying was the Rasmussen Report in 2011, which revealed that only 7% of the public believe that government employees are more hard-working than private workers.
Public servants deal with the lack of trust of people and also people who are so entitled that they think you owe your job to them. These can put a huge mental burden on your part. It is easy to give up. What people forget is that a good majority of federal and state workers believe that they are giving back. They apply for government work to serve.
In a way, you can equate public service with faith. Both require a deep belief that they are destined for something greater than the ordinary. When you have faith in God, you know in your heart that He is present even if you cannot see or touch Him. In the same way, working in government requires you to believe that you are part of a system that is designed to help those who are not very fortunate in life.
But faith becomes fragile without affirmation. In times of crisis, when your doubt weakens your confidence, you need a quick jolt of motivation to keep you going. That motivation is what the public servant prayer is all about.
What can prayer do for you?
- Gives you strength when you have to defend the budget of your office
- Inspires you when you need to make that crucial presentation
- Guides you toward the right path when you try to come up with ideas that will benefit the public you serve
- Gives you the insight and knowledge you need to participate in meetings
- Is introspection – It keeps you self-aware, both of your strengths and weaknesses
- Keeps your eyes to the mission, which is to serve the public
- Relieves stress – Chronic stress is responsible for various diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart conditions, and depression, among others.
- Quicker recovery – When a crisis hits you, it is easy for your faith to waver. Prayer is your weapon against doubt.
Lastly, prayers can keep you humble and grounded. It is easy to be blinded by power, especially for elected officials, if you lose track of the bigger picture. The book by Andrea D. Price will keep you connected to a Higher Being, as well as to yourself, both in times of crises and jubilation.
Posts by SpeakBindas Editorial Team.