Displaying items by tag: Steve Botham

Last week, I was at a city prayer breakfast for the business community. One of the speakers had run London Underground, where he would get regular night time calls about potential terrorist threats and a range of other issues. Now he leads the UKs largest rail franchise facing regular passenger complaints, constant Government contact and serious disagreements with some belligerent unions. The guy is a committed Christian in one of the most demanding jobs in the country. He depends on people supporting him in prayer, and being prepared to stand with him when the pressures mount.

It is easy to see him as being on the front line. He is constantly watched, his behaviour is commented on. People are asking – “can we see Jesus in his life”? Many Christians in the workplace are finding the going is tough. The hours continue to grow, the pressures mount and people fight desperately to balance their commitment to work with their commitment to family and church. We believe that Christians in the workplace have a ministry. They are on the frontline with hurting people, whose marriages are crumbling, finances are stretched, they have ageing parents, they suffer stress and uncertainty.

At last week’s prayer breakfast we were reminded that “whole people” go to work. They are more than their job description. They have hopes, fears, concerns and aspirations. The workplace can be God’s place. For many years I exchanged email messages every week with a small group of other business people so we can pray for each other in work. There are many times when I have sat in demanding meetings thinking “the guys are praying for me, I should expect wisdom, bless this meeting Lord.”

3 things to do to see a change in your working life:

• Get regular prayer support - The model of a small group meeting from time to time and praying for each other by phone, email or Whatsapp works brilliantly. I have seen so many miracles in the workplace and sometimes I have just been able to stand with colleagues as they hit hard times. My prayer partners have stood with me through job and career changes and blessed me every week. God cares about the workplace.
• Offer your working week to God in prayer – invite God into your working week and every morning can make a huge difference. Asking God to show you what you need to do when, who to speak to and who not to. God shows up and it makes a really impact when we are led by Him in our working days.
• Pray for the business sector and friends who work in business – We reap what we sow, so when we pray for the business sector and our work colleagues, we will also reap the rewards of those prayers as we begin to see God move.

Steve Botham is the Director of World Prayer Centre and he comes from a business background, having worked in senior roles in HR and Training in the Motor Industry and Financial Services.

2017 has started with a prayer upsurge across the UK with many prayer weeks and prayer events. Ian Cole brought a wonderful testimony from Germany that shows that prayer and the celebration of The Reformation has caught the attention and favour of German media already in 2017.

World Prayer Centre moved into a new season with its Prayershift prayer gatherings, which are focused on praying for God to move and bring change to our nation and the nations. A packed meeting was led in prayer by Jane Holloway, who got us to think about what God’s presence would mean for our home, community and workplace. We then started to pray for God’s goodness, His peace, His beauty, His light because His presence can and will change us.

Steve Botham focused on a clear start in 2017. He described this as a year of promise, presence and prayer. He said our key call as people of prayer is to change the spiritual soil so that the tree that is God’s church can be fruitful. At the moment it is in poor soil, and we are seeing a rapid decline in attendance and a loss of faith, and an increase in sin and rebellion. Changing the soil through attracting God’s presence, a move of the Word and Spirit and a release of prayer, will lead to great fruitfulness and abundance. Ministries like evangelism, children’s and youth work and social action will flourish as the soil becomes richer.

This is a time for significant change and we prayed for God to have mercy on our nation. We asked God to fulfil His promises for an unprecedented move of His Word and Spirit and for awakening in our nation.

The day closed with a powerful declaration from Jeremiah 33:14 “The days are coming when I will fulfil the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.”
We believe this word. These are exciting times when we expect extraordinary things in our prayer times. People of great prayer experience, and none, are coming from across the nation to pray and see things shift.

Join us for our next Prayershift on February 18th?