Lead Through PrayerSample

Pray for Your Boss

You might get so wrapped up in your own work responsibilities – including keeping the boss happy – that you forget your boss needs prayer as well. No matter what kind of relationship you might have with your boss, the Bible urges you to pray for him or her. 

1 Timothy 2:1-2 says that all people who are in “high positions” deserve multiple types of prayers.

The Bible uses three terms – “supplications, prayers, and intercessions” – to remind you to pray for your boss (1 Timothy 2:1). Pray that your boss is blessed with wisdom to make good decisions. Pray that God gives him or her success at work. And pray for God’s peace in the midst of uncertainty.

1 Timothy 2:2 also lists another way to pray for your boss: thanksgiving. It may seem counterintuitive to thank God for your boss, especially if you have a difficult one. But 1 Timothy 2:2 says to pray for “all” people in high positions, not just the ones you like. Look for something about your boss you can thank God for. For example, you can be grateful that your boss has to make the difficult decisions and face the consequences, not you. Or perhaps you’re grateful that you have a job at all. If so, thank God in prayer.

The promise of prayer is that you can lead a “quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:2). It allows you to be a peaceful presence in your workplace. Praying for your boss changes you in a positive way, and you might just see positive changes in your relationship with your boss too. 

Prayer: God, bless my boss. Help my boss make good decisions. Give both of us success in our work. Grant me a peaceful workplace today. Amen.

Further Exploration: Read more about 1 Timothy 2 in the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.