Watching a dear family member going through terminal illness recently, other family members and I were helped and encouraged by a Christian nurse who took a couple of minutes to pray for the patient.  She quickly closed the curtains, smiled at us and asked if wed like to pray.  We said Yes, and she prayed clearly and to the point, and in the name of Jesus.  Then she reopened the curtains and stepped out, and it was business as usual in the critical care unit. 

Wait! Did I say business as usual? Not for us! We were huddled in that little room and experiencing pain and an inability to be able to fix our situation. No, it definitely wasnt business as usual.  Im not sure if the nurse knew we were believing Christians, but wed given her permission to pray and she used the opportunity well.  Because she prayed explicitly in Jesus name, a freshness and radiance entered the room. The authority and truth and comfort of Jesus could be clearly felt, and I for one felt refreshed. A load had been lifted. This nurse had done for us what we were finding hard if not impossible to do for ourselves. Oh, we knew how, but because we were too closely involved in the situation we needed some help.  Shed discovered how to connect her faith in Jesus with her work, and she used her understanding of faith and work to good effect.

She also understood boundaries, as she asked permission first and would not have moved ahead without it.  No-ones feelings were ruffled, and no-ones sensitivity was offended.

By its nature, a hospital offers its Christian employees opportunities to pray. In this case, there was an opportunity to offer hands-on prayer. Had we not given her permission to pray openly, this nurse might well have prayed quietly and unnoticed for the situation anyway. Of course, either form of prayer would have been effective and meaningful, for the Lord Jesus hears the prayers of those who obey Him and call on His name.

That is encouraging for those of us whose work situations dont lend themselves to hands-on prayer as readily as a hospital does.  Jesus is Lord of All. He already knows the details of each situation; all that is needed is that Christians take action to bring situations under His Lordship. Prayer is an excellent way. Yes, when possible without violating boundaries, please do let your faith show, hands-on.

A WORK PRAYER
Lord Jesus, please help me to be an agent of hope and refreshment at work, through prayer and through hands-on demonstration of faith when appropriate situations arise. Give me wisdom by Your Holy Spirit to act judiciously and appropriately.   Amen.