How To Pray For Your Business

Did you know there’s a prayer structure in the bible that we could use to apply when praying our business? Today, we’re breaking down Nehemiah’s prayer structure and using it to pray for our businesses.

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Have you ever sat down and prayed for your business? Do you know how to pray for your business? As Christian entrepreneurs, sometimes it can be difficult to learn how to pray for your business because there isn’t much talk about entrepreneurship in the bible.

However, there is if you really meditate on scripture and dive deep into the stories that are told. The Bible can be your go-to business book. Believe it or not, there’s a lot of business advice about entrepreneurship in the bible!

In the bible, we’re told to pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5:17–19.). Jesus was always found continually praying (alone or in public) and giving thanks in all circumstances. Jesus prayed before meals, about important decisions, before and after healing. However, how do we pray for our business because technically, Jesus, and others in the bible, never prayed about entrepreneurship…or did they?

Are you familiar with Nehemiah in the Bible and how he prayed to God? No worries if you haven’t. If you’re a Christian entrepreneur, I want to share how you can pray for your business by creating a business prayer strategy.

This prayer strategy comes right from Nehemiah and I break down how he prayed and align it to the P.R.R.A.Y method you’re going to learn about today for praying for your business. If you’re curious about how to pray for your business and ask for God’s path and guidance, keep reading!

You can also listen to the podcast episode on how to create a business prayer strategy on our podcast, Scriptures, Stories, and Strategies.

Who Was Nehemiah?

Nehemiah was a Jewish Leader who supervised the rebuilding of Jerusalem in the mid 5th century B.C after his release from captivity by the Persian King Artaxerxes the first. He was also King Artaxerxes’s cup bearer.

Nehemiah used his leadership position and authority to bring God’s people back to Him. Which, as Christian Entrepreneurs, we should be also using our godly influence within our business to spread the truth about Jesus in any way that’s creative to you.

Now, Nehemiah was distraught when he heard news of his people back in Jerusalem and how they had forgotten God. He starts to weep and moan for a few days and even does a fast. After he is done weeping, Nehemiah says this prayer to God;

Nehemiah's Prayer | Nehemiah 1:5-11

“O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. ⁷We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.

⁸Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, ⁹but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’

¹⁰They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. ¹¹O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Nehemiah 1:5–11, ESV

What is the P.R.R.A.Y Method and How to Use It to Pray for Your Business

Now, let’s break down Nehemiah’s prayer bit by bit by using the P.R.R.A.Y method. This will will help you learn how to pray for your business and build a prayer business strategy.

P.R.R.A.Y is an acronym and it stands for

Praise
Repent
Remember
Ask
Yield

Breaking down Nehemiah's Prayer

1. Starting in verse 5, the first thing Nehemiah does is give praise to God;

“O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments”

2. Continuing in verses 6 and 7, Nehemiah says;

“…confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. ⁷We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.”

We see now that after Nehemiah praises God, the very next thing he does is confesses, or repents, for the sins of his people. He takes responsibility as a whole on behalf of his people.

3. Now, let’s look at verse 8. Nehemiah prays;

“Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, ⁹but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’”

Notice how now, Nehemiah remembers God’s promises and warnings to the Israelites during the time of Moses.

4. Continuing on to verse 11, Nehemiah says

“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

Notice how Nehemiah gives a request or asks God for success.

5. The last part of Nehemiah’s prayer to God was to yield. When you yield, you essentially surrender your will to give God control of His will for your life.

How to Create a Prayer Business Strategy

Now that we broken down Nehemiah’s prayer using the P.R.R.A.Y method, it’s time to apply that same structure to our business. Here’s how to do it!

Praise | Start by praising God for who He is.

Repent | Is there any sin you recently committed within your business? I know it sounds harsh but something as simple as being jealous of another entrepreneur’s journey, and finances, or coveting what another entrepreneur has and what you don’t have are all sins, even if we don’t realize it.

Remember | Can you remember what God has told you about your entrepreneurship journey? Has he spoken through people, His word, through dreams? Has He warned you of anything if you didn’t follow through with something? Think about how far God has brought you so far within your entrepreneurship journey. I can guarantee you that you’re not in the same place you were a year ago. What has God brought you through that made you more successful than last year?

Ask | Some Christian entrepreneurs aren’t ASKING God for success. We’re not asking bold prayers. Some may think it’s selfish. Don’t you know that God wants you to ask Him for anything you want that glorifies Him and is in your best interest? It’s ok to ask for success. It’s ok to ask for more opportunities. He wants you to confide in Him. Have faith in Him and believe that He will make happen what you ask according to His riches and glory.

Yield | Surrender your business journey to God. When you’re praying, you’re essentially humbling yourself and recognizing that you can’t do this alone. When you yield to God, you’re also saying that you trust in HIS plans for your business and you can’t rely on your plans alone. At the end of the day, God has the perfect plan and will for your life and that includes your business!