The Workplace Prayer Story
• • • • •I had never expected to leave, but I had a visceral sense of what it felt like to need prayer coverage, to need a shift, and the deep frustration—almost desperation—of not knowing how to get it.
Movement 1: Asking questions.
In 2019, marketing guru Perry Marshall suggested I (Amy) find a paid intercessor for the fledgling prayer challenge I was trying to start.
That instruction seemed … unexpected. I had made no money, and saw no real way forward to make money, but I figured that if I asked an expert a question and didn’t take his advice, I was wasting his time and mine.
I asked four people over several months.
The first said, “The Bible says, ‘Freely you have received, freely give,’ so I’m not comfortable with that.”
But I wanted several hours a week of her time—not just a single sentence.
The second said, “Oh! I could never traffic in the Holy Spirit!”
At that point, my parents had invited their staff to pray on the clock for almost thirty years. I always perceived that willingness to pay for prayer as an acknowledgement of my parents’ values, not an issue of wrongdoing.
Prayer gives oil to creaky situations … I had never considered it a sin.
Confused, I asked, “How is this different from paying for a worship leader or a pastor?”
“Oh, it absolutely is.”
Full stop.
The third and fourth people were not, perhaps, morally opposed, but they were too busy.
I texted him at 11pm. “Bob! We’ve had ten answered prayers today! He texted me right back: “Let's go for a dozen.”
Movement 2: “Lord, teach me to pray.”
How could I get the prayer coverage I needed?
Not only that, I could tell that some issues at my parents’ company simply weren’t shifting. How could I pray more effectively?
Then I found a Heaven in Business recording, where a man said, “My name is Bob Perry, and I’m a fasting intercessor.”
I didn’t know you could call yourself that! But I wanted to be one, too!
My parents hired him on June 1, 2020.
I was curious to see what, if anything, would change. After all, Sonlight Curriculum had a 30 year history of prayer, and truly miraculous, supernatural protection already.
But Bob had spent 40 years saying, “Lord, teach me to pray.”
For the first 35 years or so, he prayed in many different venues: churches, ministries, pro football teams. He once prayed over Air Force One, and served for several years as the lead intercessor for the Final Four March Madness tournament.
After years of seeing astonishing, measurable results, his friend Paul Van Hoesen asked, “When are you going to start focusing on business?”
At that point Bob turned his considerable skills and giftings towards the business world.
It was a startling demonstration that, even in spiritual things, we can grow and develop and improve. I don’t think I had really realized that before I met Bob.
Movement 3: Real Solutions.
As he would say: “If prayer doesn’t offer solutions, why bother?”
Perhaps it shouldn’t surprise me, then, that on June 3rd, three days after my parents hired him, I texted him at 11pm. “Bob! We’ve had ten answered prayers today!”
I thought this was the best news ever. I was practically turning cartwheels.
He texted me right back: “Let’s go for a dozen.”
And I remember looking at my phone, wondering, “Are you kidding me? It’s 11pm! You think we’re going to get two more answered prayers in the next hour?”
And then I thought, “Wow. More than anyone I’ve ever met, Bob really believes that prayer works.”
We did get to a dozen that day.
And then, for the rest of the month, my extended family didn’t see less than a dozen answered prayers any day.
We had some days where we hit two dozen.
At least one day we hit 27 answered prayers.
And it wasn’t that I sent Bob long lists of prayer requests.
The Lord answered our unspoken requests, simply because Bob was praying on our behalf.
What a difference between prayer with sincere believers who were not (yet) trained in prayer, and those who have trained themselves to hear God’s voice.
Bob has such a deep faith that his prayers make a difference.
And because of his training and experience, he carries an uncommon authority.
Which is not meant, in any way, to discourage anyone from praying! God loves all prayers!
For me, though, it was a startling demonstration that, even in spiritual things, we can grow and develop and improve. I don’t think I had really realized that before I met Bob.
There’s always more in God’s kingdom!
Soon after that, I quit my job working for my parents in order to partner with Bob.
I had never expected to leave, but I had a visceral sense of what it felt like to need prayer coverage, to need a shift, and the deep frustration—almost desperation—of not knowing how to get it.
I had felt like I was trying to water a football field with a garden hose. I had water, but it was taking too long. I needed either a fire hose, or a sprinkler system, or rain from heaven, but in any case, I needed help.
Movement 4: God cares about your business.
Now it is our privilege to raise up a team to pray, to offer prayer support for businesses, and to train people how to pray more effectively.
Our goal is to change the narrative on prayer in business.
God cares about business.
Prayer makes a difference.
Prayer in business offers the opportunity to change the culture and advance God’s kingdom.
It is our privilege to offer prayer for the workplace, and teach intercession to anyone interested.
We’d love to partner with you.