Then he prayed, 
“O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, 
and show kindness to my master Abraham.” 
Genesis 24:12 

We pray for our children, our spouses, our friends, and our parents. We pray for the sick and the afflicted. We pray for those on the mission field and those in the pulpit. And, of course, we pray for ourselves. 

But does it ever occur to us to pray for our (or our husband’s) boss? 

Your boss may be the last person you would think about praying for. After all, it’s a professional rather than a personal relationship. That makes it outside the norm for prayer, right? 

Abraham’s servant (most likely, Eliezer) was given an important assignment from his “boss.” Rather than relying on his own resources and discernment, Eliezer chose to pray. He asked God for help in finding the right girl for Isaac.  

His request for “the one you have chosen…” (Genesis 24:14) confirmed his confidence in God’s sovereignty. His plea to God also acknowledged his own inability to complete this difficult task. (Perhaps he didn’t want to be swayed by a pretty face or fine figure.) His prayer was very specific, so that he would have no doubt God had answered, and it was also selfless—he asked for success so that, ultimately, kindness would flow back to Abraham.

God honors Eliezer’s prayer and makes it crystal clear that Rebekah is the one. Eliezer’s assignment is completed quickly and easily.  

Perhaps God delights most in answering unselfish prayers. This one was answered “before he had finished praying…” (Genesis 24:15). How’s that for timing?  

Because of the supervisory nature of a boss’s role—and the implications for raises, performance reviews, etc.—things can easily become strained and challenging. Miscommunication and misunderstanding can permeate the relationship. The person in charge can be the brunt of jokes and the target for complaints. If anything goes wrong at work, the boss (of course) is the scapegoat—perhaps even more so when the person is our husband’s boss. We do tend to rise up and fiercely defend our dear ones. Surely you’ve found yourself thinking, Say what you want to me, but don’t mess with those I love!

Bosses, whether our own or our husband’s, are human. Fallible. They may or may not be believers. It’s easy to honor and speak well of a generous and appreciative boss; even those without the Holy Spirit can do that! But to honor, work diligently for, and pray for a challenging boss may require the supernatural working of the Spirit.

Are you ready to allow Him to lead out?

Are you ready to echo the prayer of Eliezer and pray that God shows kindness to your boss, or to your husband’s boss?

We also have an obligation to steward our influence well. As wives, we are the safe person for our husbands. We are the confidant, the listening ear, the one he seeks out to help process those difficult conversations and challenging events of the day. That’s when we have a choice: do we throw water or gasoline on the fire? Let me answer honestly that I have done both, at times. But the better question is: how should a woman of God respond?

It may take every ounce of self-control you can muster, but you must pray before responding.  

A wise woman said to me recently, “You grow closer to the one you pray to, the one you pray with, and the one you pray for.”  

Think on that for a moment. Could God use this circumstance to draw you closer to Himself, closer to your spouse, and even to soften the relationship between your spouse and his boss? Our great God can and will redeem every single wrinkle in our lives—not just for our good, but (most importantly) for His glory.  

As you and I choose to pray with our husbands and pray for their bosses, we may then get the joy of sending them off to work the next day with renewed purpose and determination, with peace and confident assurance that God sees and God knows. And when the rest of the story unfolds, we can perhaps celebrate as Eliezer did in giving praise to God, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master…” (Genesis 24:26-27).

If we pray now, perhaps later we can praise God for the answers, just as Eliezer did. Nothing—absolutely nothing—is too difficult for our very good and very great God! 

Will you commit today to pray for your boss, your husband’s boss, or perhaps both? 

 

 

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