Prayers for Workers: Facing Flattery and Boastfulness
May the LORD silence all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue.
Psalm 12:3
Prayer
O Lord, the temptation is there so much of the time,
To tell the boss “Great job!” when it really was only so-so,
To gush all over the major customer, the big investor, or the promising donor,
Knowing my words are exaggerated, flattery beyond reality.
Help me, I pray, to speak the truth,
To weigh my words in the balance of your judgment.
May I affirm and encourage,
But only in ways that are just and true.
And then there’s boasting.
Some boast of their successes without shame,
Making sure everyone knows of their achievements.
I hate that . . . and sometimes envy those who can do it.
I wouldn’t do that.
It’s far too obvious.
I will boast more subtly,
Cleverly masking my vanity with feigned humility.
Lord, help me to enjoy my accomplishments without being puffed up.
May I always remember that I owe everything to you.
And if I boast, may I boast not in my wisdom, strength, or riches,
But in you, Lord, in your kindness, justice, and righteousness. Amen.
Ponder Throughout the Day:
This is what the LORD says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
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Mark D. Roberts
Senior Strategist
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders,...