A Prayer About Management

A prayer about Management - Treating people fairly

ALMIGHTY GOD,

I was intrigued by Moses’ instructions to the tribal leaders. He said that regardless of the social status or attitudes of the people who came before them, they should be completely fair and impartial. This is great counsel, but it is difficult to carry out. I can imagine some people approaching a leader with belligerence, demanding a decision in their favor. I can also envision a wealthy, influential person expecting special treatment. This passage speaks to me, because although I am not a judge or “tribal leader,” I face situations every day in which I make judgments. These could be in disputes among family members or friends, in management decisions at work, or in congregational issues at church. So first I ask for your wisdom to determine what is true and the best course of action. I also ask for emotional restraint so I will be impartial, disregarding my personal feelings for the people involved. And I ask for compassionate firmness, dealing fairly with individuals, no matter their influence and status.

[Moses] instructed the judges, “You must hear the cases of your fellow Israelites and the foreigners living among you. Be perfectly fair in your decisions and impartial in your judgments. . . . Don’t be afraid of anyone’s anger, for the decision you make is God’s decision.” Deuteronomy 1:16-17