Praying for the person you mentor: supporting through prayer
You may be mentoring someone: a new believer you are helping move forward, a young person in your group, an intern, an apprentice, a child you are raising. You give them time, advice, examples. But have you thought of carrying them by name in your prayer? It is the invisible part of passing things on.
What it looks like in your day
Take a moment to pray for the person you are mentoring. You can structure your prayer around three axes:
- Their growth. That God would help them grow: in their knowledge of him, in their character, in their skills. “Lord, help Léa to develop a taste for your Word. Give her the desire to read for herself.”
- Their perseverance. Beginnings are enthusiastic, then weariness comes. “Keep her faithful when it gets harder. Put friends near her who will encourage her.”
- Their struggles. What you know, or sense, about what they are going through: a fear, a temptation, a difficult relationship.
Pray for yourself too: “Give me patience, wisdom, discernment to accompany him without controlling him.” The mentor who prays remembers that it is not he who changes the other person, but God.
Here is an example of a prayer: “Lord, I bring Maxime to you. You know his doubts this week. Strengthen his trust. Give me the right words when we meet on Thursday.”
If you are short on time, name the person and ask for one thing. If you are shy, remember that this prayer is discreet. If you are a parent, apply it to your children.
What the Bible says
Paul describes his mission as a mentor in terms that show how intense his commitment is:
“Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”
“Warning every man, and teaching every man… that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus”: the goal is not only to pass on knowledge, but to accompany people toward maturity. And Paul adds that he struggles, with the strength God gives him. Prayer is part of that struggle. He also prays for those he has trained:
“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
“That your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment”: that is what he asks for them. He doesn't pray that they will succeed, but that they will love with discernment. John, growing old, writes: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4): the mentor's joy is to see the other person move forward.
Pitfalls to avoid
Feeling responsible for the result. You can plant, you can water, but it is God who gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6). If the person drifts away, it isn't necessarily your fault.
Praying that they will be like you. Pray that they become what God wants, not a copy of you.
Replacing mentoring with prayer. Prayer is essential, but you also need to be present: listening, meeting, answering questions.
Neglecting to tell them you are praying for them. If it is appropriate, say so: it encourages them. Don't do it to make yourself look good, but to support them.
Getting discouraged. Fruit is sometimes slow to appear. A mentor's patience is a form of faith.
Today, name the person you are mentoring. Pray for their growth, their perseverance and their struggles.