Several years ago, I was given a glimpse into how one Houston family prays about their philanthropy, a moment that illuminated the power of the Prayer practices of world-changing leaders in daily life. Parents and children gathered around an outdoor table, bowed their heads in prayer, and asked God to grow their hearts in generosity and guidance in knowing which organizations to fund. It reminded me of other stories of inspiring impossible prayers that call believers to trust God in big, unexpected ways.
Then each family member shared about the different organizations they had researched for potential grants. Generosity and prayer were beautifully intertwined. That moment made a lasting impact on the way that I, too, want to approach generosity with prayer, and it has shaped my own renewal rhythms for prayer.
But I’ve come to realize that praying over our giving is just the beginning of how our prayers can be generous—and even ignite greater generosity. Over three years, I researched and co-wrote the book Lead with Prayer. During this time, we had the privilege of interviewing incredible leaders like Joni Eareckson Tada, Francis Chan, John Ortberg, Mark Batterson and global leaders serving in more than 100 countries. They shared openly about their regular rhythms of prayer, and often, they offered to pray for us.
A shared trait among these world-changing leaders was the others-centeredness of their prayers. While they prayed for their families and organizations, their prayers reached far beyond those closest to them. They were truly generous with their prayers—a form of generosity we can all emulate.
